Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)

About Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme

• It is an ongoing Central Sector Scheme which was launched in 1993-94.
• Objective: The Scheme enables the Members of Parliament to recommend works for creation of durable community assets based on locally felt needs to be taken up in their constituencies in the area of national priorities namely drinking water, education, public health, sanitation, roads etc.
• Under the scheme annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.
  • Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their Constituencies.
  • The Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament can recommend works in one or more districts in the State from where he/she has been elected.
  • The Nominated Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may select any one or more Districts from any one State in the Country for implementation of their choice of work under the scheme.
  • MPs are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 per cent of the MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by S.T. population.
  • In case an elected MP wishes to contribute MPLADS funds outside the constituency or the State/UT, they can recommend work up to Rs 25 lakh in a financial year.
  • MPs do not directly receive funds under MPLADS. The Centre directly transfers the sanctioned amount in two instalments of Rs. 2.5 crore to the district authorities of the concerned MP’s nodal district after a recommended project gets approval.
• Implementation
  • The role of an MP is, however, limited to the recommendation of a project.
  • The onus is on the district authority to sanction, execute and complete the recommended project within a particular timeframe.

Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been responsible for the policy formulation, release of funds and prescribing monitoring mechanism for implementation of the Scheme.

Q1: What is a Parliamentary committee?

It is a committee of Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected or appointed from amongst the members of the house or nominated by the Speaker or Chairman. The concept of Parliamentary committees originated in the British Parliament.

Source: Union Ministry data points to nearly 75% MPLADS funds in T.N. lying unspent