Bhagirath Choudhary, Union minister of state for agriculture, has refunded a ₹99-lakh subsidy he had availed for his cucumber farm under a scheme administered by his own ministry, the government has told the Lok Sabha.
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The subsidy fell under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, a scheme launched in 2014-15 that offers up to 50% subsidy, capped at ₹1 crore per family, for commercial cultivation of select vegetables and flowers. Choudhary’s project, spanning 16,592 square metres, was among 467 proposals approved by the NHB in 2025. IE reported earlier this month that three family members of Naresh Pal Gangwar — recently appointed higher education secretary amid a protest on paper leaks and related issues by Cockroach Janta Party and others — had together claimed over ₹1.16 crore in horticulture subsidies over five years.
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“Bhagirath Choudhary has communicated that he has refunded the subsidy to the bank concerned under the scheme. The bank concerned has been directed to return the subsidy amount to NHB,” he said. The disclosure follows an investigation by The Indian Express published last month into Choudhary’s taking of the subsidy.
Thakur was responding to a question from Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on whether any serving Union minister, MP, or their immediate family members had received NHB subsidies over the past five years. The reply named two BJP parliamentarians. Choudhary, MP from Ajmer, received assistance in 2026, and Lumbaram Choudhary, MP from Jalore-Sirohi, received assistance in 2025.
Banerjee had also asked whether the scheme carries any conflict-of-interest or recusal provision for applications from public functionaries or their relatives. Thakur said to that, “The existing NHB Scheme Guidelines do not contain any specific provision regarding conflict of interest or recusal in respect of applications submitted by public functionaries or their family members.”
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In a written reply on Tuesday, MoS (agriculture) Ramnath Thakur said financial assistance under National Horticulture Board (NHB) schemes “is provided in the form of credit-linked back-ended capital investment subsidy to eligible farmers and entrepreneurs for development of commercial horticulture, protected cultivation, post-harvest management and cold chain infrastructure”.
On the refund, Thakur did not say when the money was paid back.
