‘Blatant loot’: Opposition questions minister who reportedly got Rs 99-lakh subsidy for his own farm
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Opposition leaders on Saturday questioned Union minister of state Bhagirath Choudhary in connection with a report that he availed a Rs 99-lakh commercial farming subsidy through a scheme under his own ministry.
Choudhary, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, received a subsidy of Rs 99.6 lakh under a scheme to promote commercial farming at a large scale under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, The Indian Express reported on Saturday. The mission is run by the National Horticulture Board, an autonomous organisation under the agriculture ministry.
Choudhary’s project for cultivating cucumber over 16,592 square metres was one of 467 projects that were approved by the National Horticulture Board under the scheme in 2025, according to the newspaper. The scheme offers a maximum subsidy of 50%, capped at Rs 1 crore per family.
The National Horticulture Board is managed by a board of directors with the Union agriculture minister as the ex-officio president, and the minister of state for agriculture as the ex-officio vice-president.
The minister of state officially does not have any direct role in clearing projects for subsidies under the scheme, The Indian Express reported. The clearance is granted by a project approval committee of the National Horticulture Board, which does not include its president or vice-president.
However, Congress leader Pawan...