NTT Desk
An investigation by The Indian Express has revealed that Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary received a government subsidy of nearly ₹99 lakh for a commercial cucumber cultivation project under a scheme administered by the very ministry in which he serves. According to the report, Choudhary was granted the subsidy under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Central Government scheme implemented through the National Horticulture Board (NHB).
The NHB functions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, where Choudhary serves as Minister of State. As part of his official position, he is also the ex-officio Vice-President of the Board. The Indian Express reported that a signboard displayed at Choudhary's farm in Rajasthan's Peeh village states that the project received government assistance of ₹99.60 lakh, amounting to 50 per cent of the project's cost. However, the signboard does not mention that the beneficiary is the Union Minister himself.
According to official records reviewed by The Indian Express, the total project cost stood at ₹1.99 crore. The remaining amount was financed through a ₹1.49 crore loan from HDFC Bank and the promoter's own contribution. The report states that Choudhary applied for approval under the scheme on 15 April 2025 and received in-principle approval just 14 days later.
Final clearance was granted by the National Horticulture Board on 11 March 2026, following which a subsidy of ₹99.03 lakh was credited directly to the minister's HDFC Bank loan account on 30 March, according to official records cited by the newspaper.
While the NHB's project approval committee is responsible for sanctioning applications and does not include the Board's President or Vice-President, The Indian Express noted that Choudhary's position at the ministry raises questions over a possible conflict of interest.
The Indian Express said it sent a detailed questionnaire to the minister seeking his response on whether receiving financial assistance from a scheme overseen by his ministry amounted to a conflict of interest. According to the report, Choudhary's office acknowledged receiving the questionnaire, but the minister did not respond before publication.
The investigation also found that Choudhary's asset declaration submitted to the Prime Minister's Office before the project's approval listed the agricultural land where the project was later established but made no reference to the proposed horticulture venture. An aide to the minister reportedly told The Indian Express that details of the project "will be disclosed to the government."
The report further noted that this was not Choudhary's first attempt to avail the subsidy. Records show that an application submitted by him in 2018 was rejected due to procedural delays, while a separate application filed by his son for a similar horticulture project was also turned down for failing to meet scheme guidelines.
According to The Indian Express, the subsidy forms part of a Central Government initiative promoting commercial cultivation of vegetables and flowers, under which beneficiaries are eligible for financial assistance of up to 50 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum subsidy of ₹1 crore per family.
