COVID-19 : Shashi Tharoor asks Centre to relax rules governing MPLADS funds

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday wrote a letter to the Central government asking for the relaxation in the rules governing MPLADS funds so as to allow the purchase of necessary equipment to combat coronavirus pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Tharoor also allotted funds from his MPLADS to the District Collector, which is pending the approval of the Central government.

"Today, I wrote to the government asking for the rules governing MPLADS funds to be relaxed to permit the purchase of necessary equipment to combat #COVID19outbreak. Have also allotted my funds in a letter to the District Collector, pending GOI approval," Tharoor tweeted.

The Congress leader also posted the letter he wrote to Minister of State for Statistics, Programme Implementation and Planning, Rao Inderjit Singh.

"I write to you today to seek your urgent approval for certain critical purchases from my MPLAD funds towards improving testing and screening facilities against COVID-19 in my constituency of Thiruvananthapuram," read his letter.

He said that the decision was taken in order to ensure that medical personnel are well-equipped to protect themselves and, in turn, continue to functioning efficiently.

Tharoor said that Thiruvananthapuram medical officer will be custodial of all such purchases.

"These are extraordinary times which demand a rethinking of our current set of rules, especially given that if an exception were to be sanctioned in this case, it would significantly help the people of my constituency in our campaign against the transmission of the virus," he said.

"Under the existing rules and regulations surrounding procurements from MPLADS funds, it would not be normally possible to sanction these requests since the equipment under consideration is less than Rs 5 lakhs," Tharoor added.