Union Minister Bhagirath Choudhary Defends ₹99.60 Lakh NHB Subsidy; Congress Demands Probe Over Conflict Of Interest Claims | VIDEO

Jaipur, June 27: Following media reports of an alleged conflict of interest in receiving a subsidy, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary has come under attack from the opposition, with the Congress alleging misuse of power and corruption in the matter.

While Minister Bhagirath Choudhary has denied all the allegations and said that he applied as a farmer in accordance with the prescribed rules and government guidelines. He clarified that he did not conceal any facts and that the entire process was transparent.

Subsidy Under Scrutiny

The minister is facing charges of receiving a subsidy of approximately Rs 99.60 lakh for cucumber cultivation under his ministry's scheme. The issue came to the fore following media reports stating that Bhagirath Choudhary's cucumber cultivation project, developed on an area of 16,592 square metres, was among the 467 projects approved by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) in 2025. The NHB is an autonomous body operating under the administrative control of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Responding to the reports, Choudhary said that he is a farmer and, like thousands of farmers who benefit from subsidies under polyhouse and protected cultivation schemes, he had also applied under the scheme in 2018.

Claiming that he did not violate any rules or obtain any special benefit after becoming a minister, he said an information board has been installed on his farm, publicly displaying the full details of the loan and subsidy received.

"I took a loan of approximately Rs 2 crore from a bank for the project. I adopted modern agricultural techniques on the farm near Pushkar. The objective of this project is not only commercial farming but also to train farmers in new techniques and natural farming," said the minister.

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Congress Demands Investigation

Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded a probe into the matter. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on X, "What would you say when the Minister of State for Agriculture himself secures a subsidy of nearly one crore rupees for his farm under his ministry's scheme? On one hand, ordinary farmers tire of running around government offices, while on the other, the families of BJP ministers and favoured officials are receiving government favours worth crores."