Karnataka MPs utilised 79.3% of MPLADS funds

Karnataka's 28 lawmakers of the 16th Lok Sabha on the average utilised 79.3 per cent of the funds released to them under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) during their five-year term from 2014 to 2019, said the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

"Of the Rs 452.50 crore cumulative funds released by the Central government for the 28 parliamentary constituencies, Rs 358.70 crore was spent, which is 79.3 per cent," said the Ministry in a report.

As each member is entitled to Rs 25 crore for five years at the rate of Rs 5 crore per year, the cumulative entitlement for 28 of them was Rs 700 crore.

Cumulative funds, including the interest available with the respective districts, were Rs 465.40 crore, the cumulative amount recommended by the members for various works was Rs 500.83 crore and the cumulative amount sanctioned by the respective districts was Rs 438.31 crore.

"Of the Rs 465.40 crore cumulative funds with the 30 districts in the state, Rs 106.71 crore was the cumulative unspent amount," said the report.

Under the scheme, as the members role is limited to recommending the works, the respective district is responsible to sanction, execute and complete the works within the stipulated period.

Of the 28 MPs elected in May 2014, 17 belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 9 to the Congress and 2 to the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

B.R. Sreeramulu of the BJP emerged at the top by utilising 96.52 per cent (Rs 16.89 crore) of the funds (Rs 17.80 crore) released, with Rs 91 lakh as unspent amount in his Bellary constituency.

JD-S supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda utilised 95.49 per cent (Rs 11.94 crore) of the funds (Rs 12.69 crore), with Rs 76 lakh as unspent amount in his Hassan constituency.

Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadannda Gowda of the BJP utilised 86.08 per cent (Rs 17.22 crore) of the funds (Rs 20.30 crore), with Rs 3.08 crore as unspent amount in his Bangalore North seat.

Union Minister of State for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde of the BJP utilised the least -- 62.73 per cent (Rs 7.84 crore) of the funds (Rs 12.76 crore) -- with Rs 4.92 crore as unspent amount in his Uttara Kannda constituency on the state's west coast region.

BJP members B.S. Yeddyurappa from Shimoga and B.R. Sreeramulu from Bellary (ST) and JD-S member C. Puttaraju from Mandya resigned on being elected to the state assembly in the May 12, 2018 elections.

As a result, bye-election was held in November 2018, in which the BJP lost the Bellary seat to V.S. Ugrappa of the Congress, while Yeddyurappa's son B.Y. Raghavandra won for the BJP to retain the Shimoga seat. JD-S too retained the Mandya seat with its candidate L.R. Shivarame Gowda winning.

The scheme was formulated in December 1993 to enable elected members of Parliament to recommend development works in their constituencies with a view to creating durable assets based on locally felt needs.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been administering the scheme since October 1994.

--IANS

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