Junior Agriculture Minister Bhagirath Choudhary Returns Rs 99.6 Lakh Subsidy Taken From His Own Ministry
New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary has returned a Rs 99-lakh subsidy he took from his own ministry for running a commercial cucumber farm, the Union government told Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 29).
"Shri 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," the government said in response to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 28).
Exactly a month ago, the Indian Express had published an investigation detailing Choudhary accepting the nearly Rs 1-crore subsidy through a horticulture scheme under his own ministry. The subsidy is disbursed and managed by the National Horticulture Board (NHB), an autonomous body administered by the agriculture ministry.
Another controversial subsidy related to the ministry of agriculture was granted to several family members of 1994 batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, Naresh Pal Gangwar, while he was Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the agriculture ministry.
Gangwar was appointed Higher Education Secretary by prime minister Narendra Modi's government on Thursday (July 23) in a reshuffle that took place amidst nationwide protests over repeated failures in the higher education examination system.
The subsidies availed by his wife, mother and son were reported along with the minister's subsidy, though the figure was higher, at Rs 1.16 crore over five years. The Indian Express had also revealed that the subsidy per family under the scheme they accessed was limited at Rs 1 crore per the rules. There is no news on whether this family has returned the subsidy or continues to enjoy the benefits.
Also read: The Last Time the New Higher Education Secretary Was in the News
Naresh Pal Gangwar, and the Indian Express' coverage of the government subsidy that he received.
The department of agriculture's declaration on Choudhary's subsidy being returned came in response to a question asked by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee. He had asked whether any serving Union minister, Member of Parliament or their immediate family members had received a subsidy under schemes of the National Horticulture Board (NHB) during the last five years.
The government's response also stated that another MP, Lumbaram Choudhary representing Jalore Sirohi in Rajasthan, also from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), had availed of a subsidy from the NHB in the last five years. No further detail was shared about this subsidy.
Banerjee had also asked whether any "conflict of interest or recusal policy" exists when applications from public functionaries or their family members are considered for granting subsidies.
"All eligible applicants are treated equally and applications are considered solely on the basis of the eligibility criteria and compliance with the provisions of the scheme," the government responded in writing. It said no formal recusal policy existed.
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