What Bhagirath Choudhary Said As Report Raises Questions Over INR 99.60 Lakh Subsidy (Watch Video)

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary has defended receiving a government subsidy of nearly INR 99.60 lakh for his cucumber farming project after a report claimed the assistance came through a scheme administered by his own ministry. Responding to the controversy, Choudhary said he had followed the rules, applied under the scheme years ago and had disclosed all details of the project.

The clarification came after an investigation by The Indian Express reported that Choudhary received financial assistance under the National Horticulture Board (NHB) scheme, which operates under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. As Minister of State for Agriculture, Choudhary is the ex-officio Vice Chairman of the NHB, although project approvals are made by a separate committee that does not include the board's president or vice-president. Operation Sindoor: Government Reveals Names of 6 Personnel Killed During Mission for First Time.

'I am a farmer': Bhagirath Choudhary on INR 99.60 lakh cucumber farm subsidy

What Bhagirath Choudhary said

Responding to the report, Choudhary said: "I am a farmer and have been in agriculture since my childhood days...I have not hidden anything. Thousands of farmers polyhouses and avail subsidies. So, I did too. I had applied in 2018. I have installed a board there and mentioned all the loans and subsidies I took. I also train farmers there in new techniques and natural farming...All local officials have visited the spot. So, what did I hide?..."

What the report said

According to The Indian Express, Choudhary became a beneficiary under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Central government scheme aimed at promoting commercial horticulture farming. George Kurian Resigns: Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Quits After BJP Drops Him From Rajya Sabha List.

The project is located at his farm in Peeh village in Rajasthan's Deedwana-Kuchaman district. A signboard installed at the farm states that it received assistance from the National Horticulture Board under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.

The report said the total project cost was INR 1.99 crore. Of this, the promoter's share was INR 49.80 lakh, while Choudhary took a bank loan of INR 1.49 crore. Under the scheme, he was sanctioned assistance of INR 99.60 lakh, which falls within the scheme's maximum subsidy limit of INR 1 crore.

Scheme and approval process

The subsidy was provided under the NHB's "Development of Commercial Horticulture through Production and Post-Harvest Management of Horticulture Crops" scheme, a component of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.

The scheme provides financial assistance of up to 50 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of INR 1 crore per family, for eligible commercial horticulture projects. Official guidelines state that while the NHB functions under the Agriculture Ministry, subsidy approvals are granted by a project approval committee and not by the board's president or vice-president.

Records cited in the report show that Choudhary had first applied under the scheme in 2018. That application was rejected due to a delay in submitting the required hard copy. He later applied again, and the project received approval last year before the subsidy was released following completion of the project.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2026 03:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).