MPLADS Fund

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday inaugurated a Farmers' Training and Common Facility Centre under the MPLAD scheme here. The centre in Kasapura village aims to train self-help groups (SHGs) and farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to enhance value addition to their agricultural produce, officials said. The facility has been set up in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), they added. Launched in 1993, the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme allows MPs to propose development projects in their constituencies for community assets such as roads, drinking water, and sanitation. Fully funded by the government, these projects aim to address local needs through durable infrastructure implemented by district authorities. "Together, these efforts will enable both groundnut and tamarind value chains to thrive, while also strengthening Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) with marketing support. A

MoSPI tells House panel no GST exemption is planned for MPLADS use, even as the panel seeks relief to improve fund utility and suggests increasing annual allocation

Critics point out that rarely are questions asked and probes ordered on the utilisation of public money under these schemes, or when done, it is mostly to settle political scores around election time

This exponential rise in the share of unspent money is despite the fact that the scheme remained suspended for nearly 18 months during Covid

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge), MoSPI, informed that until March 30, only Rs 2,387 crore had been disbursed

Parliamentarians will now be given the entire corpus of Rs 5 crore in a single tranche at the beginning of the fiscal year, unlike two tranches of Rs 2.5 crore released every six months

Developed by State Bank of India, the portal is part of the revised guidelines that aim at facilitating real-time monitoring, increasing transparency and accountability

Four Assam Civil Service (ACS) officers have been suspended for alleged financial irregularities in the execution of projects under the MP Local Area Development Fund, officials said. The CM's Special Vigilance Cell had carried out an inquiry into the allegations and detected "irregularities and anomalies" in the execution of works and utilisation of funds of Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan for 2021-22 and 2022-23, they said. All the accused have been placed under immediate suspension, pending drawal of departmental proceedings, an official order said on Saturday. The suspended officers include the deputy secretary in the Home and Political Department, and the additional deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan.

Parliamentarians cannot utilise interest accrued on MPLADS funds for development works with the Centre revising the norms for utilisation of money under various central sector schemes. According to the revised procedure for flow of funds under the CSS, including MPLADS, of the Finance Ministry, all interest earnings should be compulsorily remitted to the Consolidated Fund of India. The revised procedures have been intimated to MPs by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats. CPI(M) MP John Brittas has strongly objected to the new procedures and urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to roll back the decision. The members should be allowed to continue recommending "works for the interest amount accrued for the MPLADS funds disbursed to them every year by retaining the procedure in vogue as such," Brittas said in a letter to the minister on Monday. Copies of the letter were also sent to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Lok Sabha Speaker and the Minister of Statistics and Programme ...

The government has restored MPLADS for the remaining part of 2021-21 with release of Rs 2 crore per Member of Parliament in one installment, Parliament was informed on Wednesday

Under the scheme, MPs can recommend development programmes involving expenditure of Rs 5 crore every year in their constituencies

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the scheme has been restored for the remaining part of financial year 2021-22. The scheme will continue till 2025-26

Sitharaman made the announcement in the Rajya Sabha

Parliament passed a bill to reduce salaries of MPs by 30% for one year to augment financial resources required to fight Covid-19, with members supporting the move but demanding restoration of MPLADS

Rahul quit as Congress president after the party's 2019 Lok Sabha poll and Sonia Gandhi became interim chief in August that year.

The cabinet has approved a temporary suspension of the MPLAD funds scheme during 2020-21 and 2021-22

The meeting will take place amid intense pressure from the states to continue the nationwide 21-day lockdown in an effort to flatten the Covid-19 curve and keep number of cases at a minimum.

Suspension of MPLAD funds in FY21-22 to boost fund by Rs 8,000 cr

MPs' salaries will be cut for this year and funds from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) for 2020-21 and 2021-22 will be transferred to CFI

320 legislators come forward to contribute to PM CARES Fund