Cabinet decision to suspend MPLADS funds appears to be ill-advised: RJD MP

RJD MP Manoj Jha has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the cabinet's decision to suspend the MPLAD funds for a period of two years appears to be an "ill-advised" decision.

"Of the decision taken in the Cabinet meeting today the decision to cut salaries and perks of the members of the parliament and divert these to the consolidated Fund of India is most welcome and this at least we could do in difficult times. However, I submit before you that the Cabinet decision to also suspend the MPLADS funds altogether for a period of two years appears to be ill-advised," Jha said in the letter to the Prime Minister.

He further wrote, "The public officials who may have put up the proposal for this need to be informed that MPLADS funds are not allowances given to members of parliament for their personal use, but are meant for Local Area Development schemes. Diversions of these funds to the Consolidated Fund of India would only centralise the administration of these funds which will only decrease the efficiency of their disbursal."

He requested to revisit this decision taken in the cabinet with respect to MPLADS.