Union minister got ₹99 lakh subsidy from own ministry; Centre says scheme permits it and refund made

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary received a ₹99 lakh subsidy under a horticulture scheme administered by the ministry in which he serves, but later refunded the amount, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. BJP MP Lumba Ram also received financial assistance under the National Horticulture Board (NHB) scheme during the past five years.

In a written reply to the House, Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur said NHB provides financial assistance as a credit-linked, back-ended capital investment subsidy to eligible farmers and entrepreneurs. The scheme supports commercial horticulture, protected cultivation, post-harvest management and cold chain infrastructure.

According to the details tabled in Parliament, Lumba Ram, MP from Sirohi in Rajasthan, received financial assistance in 2025, while Bhagirath Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and MP from Ajmer, Rajasthan, received ₹99 lakh under the scheme in 2026.

Thakur said Choudhary had informed the government that he had refunded the subsidy to the concerned bank.

“The bank concerned has been directed to return the subsidy amount to NHB,” the minister said.

Scheme has no conflict-of-interest provision

The disclosure came in response to a question from Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who asked whether any serving Union ministers, MPs or their immediate family members had received financial assistance under NHB schemes during the past five years.

Thakur said the existing NHB scheme guidelines do not contain any specific provision on conflict of interest or recusal for applications submitted by public functionaries or their immediate family members.

He added that the schemes are open to all eligible applicants, including individuals, partnerships, companies, cooperatives and other eligible legal entities, subject to meeting the prescribed eligibility conditions.

Under the scheme, project land must be owned by the applicant or held on lease for at least 10 years, with the arrangement reflected in revenue records.

Thakur said applications are processed through a transparent multi-tier mechanism.

The financing bank first appraises the project and sanctions the term loan. The NHB then examines the proposal through its Project Examination Committee before issuing the Grant of Clearance (GoC).