MP-headed committees to monitor Centre-funded schemes

District-level committees headed by the local Member of Parliament will monitor the centrally- funded schemes and mandatorily meet four times a year, BJP MPs were informed today and asked by the party leadership to use it to push for effective execution of developmental projects.
The first meetings of the District Infrastructure Scheme Advisory Committees (DISHA) are expected on August 23.
BJP sources said the panels, which would also have state government officials on board, are likely to meet in the months of February, April, August and December.
Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar spoke about the constitution of DISHA committees at a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah besides other senior leaders.

Though local vigilance committees have been there earlier as well, sources said the new panels will ensure greater accountability as its meetings have been made mandatory.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also spoke briefly about a law, which has been cleared by the Cabinet, that will help banks in debt recoveries and improve ease of doing business, sources said.

Amending Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (Sarfaesi) Act is among the law's objectives.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government is keen on the passage of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill (CAMPA) and Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill in the coming days.

The party leaders also paid rich tributes to the martyrs on the occasion of the Kargil Vijay Diwas today.
Kumar said five bills in Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha, which has seen frequent disruptions, have been passed so far in the ongoing Monsoon Session and appealed to the opposition in the Upper House to participate in the discussion.
"We will do all the official business (as listed). We had considered 16 bills for the session and four new bills besides them have also been brought," he said.
Asked about the GST bill, Kumar said the government is talking about it where it should, an apparent reference to its attempts to bring the opposition around over the contentious legislation.