Union minister returns ₹99 lakh subsidy taken from own ministry: Centre

The Centre told the Lok Sabha that Union Minister Bhagirath Choudhary has returned the ₹99 lakh NHB subsidy he received for a cucumber farming project under a scheme run by his own ministry

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary has returned the ₹99 lakh subsidy he received under a horticulture scheme run by the ministry in which he serves, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

 

The subsidy was given for Choudhary's cucumber farming project under a National Horticulture Board (NHB) scheme that supports commercial horticulture.

 

In a written reply to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ramnath Thakur said, "Bhagirath Choudhary has communicated that he has refunded the subsidy to the bank concerned under the scheme. The concerned bank has been directed to return the subsidy amount to NHB (National Horticulture Board)."

 

 

Thakur also informed the House that another BJP MP from Rajasthan, Lumbaram Choudhary, received financial assistance under NHB schemes during the past five years. According to the government's reply, Lumbaram Choudhary received assistance in 2025, while Bhagirath Choudhary received it in 2026.

 

The subsidy is provided under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, which supports large-scale commercial cultivation of selected vegetables and flowers. The programme, launched in 2014-15, is implemented by the National Horticulture Board, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

 

Under the scheme, beneficiaries can receive financial assistance of up to 50 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of ₹1 crore per family. The support is available for the cultivation of crops such as capsicum, cucumber and tomato, as well as eight flower varieties, including roses, anthuriums and orchids.

 

Choudhary's cucumber cultivation project covers 16,592 sq metres. It was among 467 projects approved by the NHB in 2025 under the "Development of Commercial Horticulture through Production and Post-Harvest Management of Horticulture Crops" scheme.