E-Paper
MPs give Rs 365 cr from local area development fund to fight Covid-19
As per the latest information available with the Parliament secretariat, a total of 339 MPs have contributed a total of Rs 365 crore from their MPLADS to the Central pool for measures towards tackling exigencies in India
A week after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu appealed to Members of Parliament (MPs) to contribute towards the government’s efforts to contain the spread of Coronavirus, about one-third of Rajya Sabha MPs and half of the sitting Lok Sabha MPs have committed contributions.
As per the latest information available with the Parliament secretariat, a total of 339 MPs have contributed a total of Rs 365 crore from their MPLADS to the Central pool for measures towards tackling exigencies in India emerging from the effect of the pandemic.
PPK Ramacharyulu, secretary in the Rajya Sabha secretariat, also informed that the contributions include Rs 100 crore from 74 Rajya Sabha members and Rs 265 crore from 265 Lok Sabha members.
Both Naidu and Birla have been appraised about the latest status of contributions. Officials close to Naidu indicate that additional measures would be adopted to urge remaining members to send their consent letter to the Ministry of statistics and programme implementation, the nodal ministry for MPLAD.
Some opposition MPs, however, have decided to spend their local area fund within their constituencies instead of committing the money to the central pool. “We also need to do our bit in our constituency to contain coronavirus. Why should we give up our fund to supplement Centre’s effort or leave it to the ministry to decide how to spend the money,” said an Opposition MP who did not wish to be named.
In the last week of March, Birla and Naidu had appealed to MPs to earmark Rs 1 crore from their MPLAD to help fight coronavirus. “I appeal to all Hon’ble MPs to forward Consent Letters to Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation towards utilizing a sum of Rs 1 crore or more from their MPLAD Funds & supplement Govt efforts to fight the pandemic,” Birla had tweeted.
The MPLAD scheme, initiated in 1994, gives Rs 5 crore per annum to an MP to spend it on development projects in his or her constituency. The scheme also allows MPs to contribute up toRs 1 crore in case the Centre attributes a calamity as a “calamity of severe nature” such as the Corona outbreak. The scheme also allows contribution of MPLAD funds to a place outside an MP’s constituency or even outside his state/union territory.
Apart from their MPLAD contributions, MPs have also been urged to donate a month’s salary for the newly created PM CARES fund.
