Neemuch or
Nimach is a town in the
Malwa region of the Indian state of
Madhya Pradesh. The town shares its northeastern border with state of
Rajasthan and is the administrative headquarters of
Neemuch District. Formerly a large British cantonment of Gwalior princely state, in 1822 the town became the headquarters of the combined
Rajputana–
Malwa political agency and of the
Malwa Agency in 1895. The British Cantonment was disbanded in 1932 after which it was maintained by a British Municipal Board. Neemuch was the birthplace of the
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 1939 and is home to a large scale army recruitment centre for the organisation. The CRPF still maintains part of Neemuch's British Military Cantonment, which was the first of its kind in India. The Bungalow area, Native troops area, Bazar area and Fields and Gardens were maintained initially by the Municipal Board and later by the Municipal Council. After Independence Neemuch City and the Baghana area were included in the Municipal area. Neemuch is known as
India's
Eye donation capital as it accounts for the highest per capita eye donation rate in the country'. Neemuch also has Asia’s biggest
opium alkaloid processing plant which is a government-owned company named-
Opium and Alkaloid Works. It is a road junction and distribution centre for agricultural products. Handloom weaving is the major industry here.