Our Bureau

Hyderabad , July 16

THE Union Government is set to finalise new guidelines for the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme, which is now at advanced stage of discussions, according to the Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Mr Oscar Fernandes.

Speaking to newspersons after reviewing the functioning of MPLAD scheme, Mr Fernandes said the draft guidelines had been referred to Parliamentary committees. "Once their consent is received, we would announce them. Significantly, the new norms will define the amount to be spent on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes," he said.

Following a review of the progress of the scheme under which each MP is allocated Rs 2 crore a year, the Minister said the southern States performed better, averaging about 87 per cent utilisation, while many States failed to meet the scheme requirements.

To ensure that the amount is utilised properly and reached the target groups, Mr Fernandes said all the schemes approved and under way were being encouraged and advised to be put on the Internet. This would help people to directly access them and track their progress. So far, about 80 constituencies have completed this task and the rest would achieve this by September. However, in some States, there is the problem of connectivity, which needs to be addressed first.

The Minister said in case of Lok Sabha MPs, the percentage of fund utilisation was 89.29 per cent and in Rajya Sabha members it was 77.87 per cent.

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