Gujarat MPs spent just 21% of local development funds
Concerns over low utilisation of development funds have emerged in Gujarat, where several Members of Parliament have spent only a fraction of the grants allocated under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).
Among them, Ahmedabad West MP Dinesh Makwana has utilised only Rs 80 lakh out of Rs 16.04 crore sanctioned to him, placing him among the lowest spenders in the State. Similarly, Gandhinagar MP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spent Rs 41.47 lakh from an allocation of Rs 14.70 crore. Under MPLADS, each MP is entitled to Rs 5 crore annually for recommending local development works, amounting to roughly Rs 25 crore over a five-year term. However, figures indicate that Gujarat’s 26 MPs have collectively utilised only Rs 82.87 crore out of Rs 384 crore allocated so far — just about 21 per cent.
In contrast, Bharuch MP Mansukh Vasava has recorded the highest utilisation, spending Rs 5.75 crore (around 39.13 per cent) of his allocation. Patan MP Bharatsinh Dabhi follows with Rs 5.57 crore spent, while Amreli MP Bharat Sutariya has utilised Rs 5.08 crore.
Other MPs with relatively low spending include Ahmedabad East MP Hasmukh Patel, Jamnagar MP Poonam Madam, Dahod MP Jasvantsinh Bhabhor, Panchmahal MP Rajpalsinh Jadav, and Banaskantha MP Geniben Thakor, each having utilised a limited portion of their respective funds.
With 12 MPs spending less than 20 per cent of their allocations, Gujarat ranks 20th among Indian States in terms of average utilisation. In contrast, northeastern States have shown significantly better performance. Nagaland leads with 64.70 per cent utilisation, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (62.80 per cent), Sikkim (62.30 per cent), Meghalaya (61.60 per cent), and Mizoram (58.40 per cent).
