The AAP Government’s move to empower the MlAs with more financial powers to carry out developmental works in their respective constituencies, has hit the roadblock. The Finance Department has refused to release the additional funds early on the ground that amendments in the MlA local Area Development guidelines needs approval of President Pranab Mukherjee after getting requisite approval from the Union Home Ministry and lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung before laying it in the Delhi Assembly. The entire exercise is expected to take five to six months.
Top sources told The Pioneer said after the Cabinet approval, the Government had asked the Finance Department to release additional money towards the MlA fund so that they could quickly carry out developmental works in their areas, but it had refused.
This is a new instrument of service which needs amendments in the existing guidelines, said experts, adding that besides, the department would have to ensure under which plan head, the amount would be released.
“Once the President okays the proposal, a supplementary bill has to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly. Once the House clears it, then only additional money can be released in accordance with the provisions of the new finance bill,” sources said.
The Government had already allocated Rs 280 crore to MlAs local area development to carry out small works in their respective constituencies. But the Government has reportedly not received completion certificates from the agencies concerned involved in executing their projects in all the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi.
Delhi Cabinet had recently approved a proposal to allocate an additional amount of Rs 10 crore to each MlA for the current financial year for undertaking developmental projects in their respective constituencies. The Government move, which was to cost Rs 700 crore to the State exchequer, had raised eye-brows with AAP’s political rivals claiming that it was being done in wake of the municipal elections scheduled for early next year.
Political pundits said the AAP Government wanted to send a message to voters that its development agenda would be replicated in each of the 272 wards if it was voted to power in the three municipal corporations. At present, each MlA gets Rs four crore every year to carry out developmental works in their respective constituencies. Of the Rs four crore, each MlA is bound to pay Rs one crore to the Delhi Jal Board.
The Delhi Government had framed a scheme namely the Member of legislative Assembly local Area Development Scheme (MlAlADS) in 1994 on the same analogy as was available in the Union Government under the Member of Parliament local Area Development Scheme. The basic purpose of introducing the scheme was to implement small development projects as per the need of local people. The amount was increased to Rs 1.40 crore in 1999-2000. It was further increased to Rs 1.90 crore in 200-01 and to Rs two crore in 2004-05. The government finally doubled the fund to Rs four crore in 201-12.