New Delhi, June 27 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Bhagirath Choudhary, on Saturday defended himself against allegations that he received a subsidy of Rs 99.03 lakh for his cucumber farming project under a government scheme administered by the ministry in which he serves.

He maintained that the entire process was carried out in accordance with the prescribed guidelines and asserted that he was ready to present all relevant documents whenever required.

The controversy follows an investigation by The Indian Express, which reported that Choudhary received the subsidy of Rs 99 lakh around three months ago under a scheme of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The report stated that the project was approved by the National Horticulture Board (NHB), where Choudhary serves as the ex-officio Vice-President.

Speaking to IANS, Choudhary said, “It is true. I am a farmer, and I am engaged in agricultural work. I have developed a polyhouse project and constructed four farm ponds with a capacity of around two crore litres to store rainwater. This water is used for irrigation and for my crops.”

He further said, “I have also taken a bank loan as per the prescribed guidelines. I am not hiding anything. I have even installed a board at the site stating that I have availed the subsidy and that the project is meant to encourage farmers to adopt modern farming techniques.”

“Everything has been done under the guidelines. I have not concealed anything. If farmers do not adopt new farming techniques, how will they progress? I am doing this to inspire other farmers,” he said.

Explaining the process, Choudhary added, “I installed the polyhouse first, and after about six months, I received the subsidy through the proper banking procedure. Certainly, I can present all the facts and documents before the public. I have displayed a board mentioning the loan amount as well as the subsidy received.”

Meanwhile, the scheme to promote “commercial farming” — on a large scale for profit — of select vegetables and flowers comes under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), which was launched in 2014-15 and is administered by the National Horticulture Board (NHB), an autonomous organisation under the administrative control of Choudhary’s Ministry.

The initiative offers a maximum subsidy of 50 per cent, capped at Rs 1 crore per family, of the project cost for farming capsicum, cucumber and tomato, and eight varieties of flowers, including rose, anthurium and orchids.

Choudhary’s project for cucumber cultivation across 16,592 sq m is one of 467 approved by NHB in 2025 under the scheme titled “Development of Commercial Horticulture through Production and Post-Harvest Management of Horticulture Crops”.

–IANS

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