Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Discontinue MPLADS

Sir, — This has reference to your Editorials, "Brazen abuse of power" (March 6) and "An under-funded budget?" (March 10), Members of Parliament are allotted Rs. 1,580 crores every year under the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). But the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) for 2000 states that 35.80 per cent of the amount released under the scheme remained unutilised or under-utilised. The CAG observed that there was no evidence that the benefits of the MPLADS percolated down to the lowest level of the society. The audit review of the MPLADS during the period 1997-98 to 1999-2000 in Nagaland revealed that 87 per cent of the grants remained unutilised, resulting in non-fulfillment of the objectives of creating durable community assets. He has reported many irregularities, frauds and pilferages in the implementation of the scheme. Thus, we are experiencing under-utilisation or misuse of the available funds. On the other hand, we are facing acute paucity of funds for meeting genuine expenses for the projects and programmes planned in the budget. It is, therefore, time that the scheme is discontinued and the funds transferred to meet urgent budgetary obligations.

C. Ramesh,
Keeramangalam, T.N.

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