Guj MLAs to get Rs 50 lakh more per year for area development

The Gujarat government today announced that the state's 182 legislators would get Rs 1.50 crore each as Local Area Development(LAD) grant every year, a hike of Rs 50 lakh from the current Rs 1 crore.

The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in the Assembly while seeking approval of the House for the Gujarat Appropriation Bill-2018.

The LAD grant allows legislators to finance developmental work in their constituencies.

During a discussion in the House on it, senior Congress MLA Niranjan Patel said the grant of Rs 1 crore was insufficient since the area under each constituency had increased over a period of time.

"Since one constituency now comprises two to three talukas, each village gets a nominal amount when we divide the grant among them. I request the government to increase it so that MLAs can spend more on development and every village gets the desired benefit" said Patel.

His views were echoed by other Congress MLAs, including Congress chief whip Amit Chavda, who suggested that the fund limit should be at least Rs 2 crore.

Responding to the opposition's requests, Patel, who also holds the Finance portfolio, announced that each MLA would now get Rs 1.50 crore per annum as LAD.