Ajmer, June 27 -- Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary on Saturday defended himself against allegations that he received a Rs.99.03 lakh subsidy for his cucumber farming project under a government scheme administered by his own ministry. He stated that he had "hidden nothing" and had applied for the subsidy years before becoming a minister.

Speaking to ANI, Choudhary responded to media reports regarding the subsidy, asserting that he has been engaged in farming since childhood and that his project was entirely transparent.

"I am a farmer and have been in agriculture since my childhood days. I have not hidden anything. Thousands of farmers install polyhouses and avail themselves of subsidies, so I did too. I had ap...