Jaipur, June 28 -- Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers' welfare Bhagirath Choudhary came under fire from the Opposition on Saturday after an English daily reported that he received a Rs.99.6 lakh subsidy under a horticulture scheme administered by his ministry. The report said that under the ministry's Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), implemented by the National Horticulture Board (NHB), a cucumber cultivation project spanning 16,592 square metres of land in Rajasthan's Deedwana Kuchaman districtowned by Choudhary was sanctioned a subsidy amounting to 50% of the project cost in 2025. The subsidy was released in March. Choudhary also serves as Member of Parliament from Ajmer in the Lok Sabha. As minister of state, he serves as NHB's ex-officio vice-president. The report added that Choudhary's proposal for clearance to start work on the project under the scheme was allegedly granted approval in 14 days. To be sure, it also said that subsidy proposals are approved by an NHB project approval committee that does not include the board's president or vice-president. Responding to the report, Choudhary said there was nothing improper in availing a government scheme for which he was eligible. "I am a farmer and have been engaged in agriculture since childhood. I have not hidden anything," he told reporters. He said he had applied for the subsidy in 2018, well before becoming a Union minister, and had publicly disclosed details of the loans and subsidy related to the project. The BJP leader said the farm functions as a demonstration centre where farmers are trained in modern agricultural practices and natural farming. "Thousands of farmers install polyhouses and receive subsidies. I also applied under the scheme. The project was inspected by local officials before the subsidy was sanctioned," he said. Meanwhile, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot took to X to accuse the Centre of promoting a "new model of corruption" through conflicts of interest. He alleged that while ordinary farmers struggled with bureaucratic procedures, BJP leaders and favoured officials received government benefits running into crores. He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the issue. Coming to Choudhary's defence, state BJP chief Madan Rathore said the minister had concealed nothing and was not involved in the approval process. "Choudhary is not a member of the committee that sanctions the subsidy. He had applied three times earlier, but his applications were rejected because he did not fulfil the eligibility criteria. Once he met all the required conditions, the subsidy was granted. There is nothing irregular in that," he said. "Is it wrong to do farming or to avail benefits provided under a government scheme if one is eligible?" added Rathore....