NEW DELHI: In the wake of news doing the rounds pertaining to Amitabh Bachchan’s endorsement fees for Doordarshan’s Kisan Channel, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has said that the channel has not entered into any contract with any artist for celebrity endorsement.

The clarification came from Rathore in reply to a question during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha today.

It may be recalled that last month, Bachchan had issued a statement denying media reports, which claimed that the actor had charged Rs 6.31 crore for endorsing DD Kisan.

Later, the ad agency Lowe Lintas that represents the channel said that it had learnt only on 20 July of the 72-year old actor’s decision to work pro-bono or free of cost for it.

A Lowe Lintas spokesman said, “We received formal communication from his office this afternoon, that upon reviewing the work-in-progress contract with his team, Bachchan has taken a decision on principle that he will not charge any fee on issues involving social causes and those that are in the best interest of the nation. In light of today's development, we have initiated the process of refund to our client, DD Kisan, for the amount collected for Bachchan's celebrity endorsement.”