The latest data on the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) show that the total funds released by the central government covering the period of 17th Lok Sabha (2019 to 2024) was around ₹4,510 crore, registering a decline of 65.2 per cent over the funds released in the previous Lok Sabha. This is primarily because no fund released under the scheme in the two years of the pandemic.
The MPLADS is a government scheme through which each Member of Parliament (MP) in India receives ₹5 crore annually. MPs identify the developmental needs of their respective constituencies, and the funds are routed to the district authorities, who utilise them across 11 specific sectors, including infrastructure, education, health, and others. The scheme was launched in 1993 and is fully funded by the central government.
DMK MP P Wilson explained, “The government had frozen the funds for two years due to the pandemic, which significantly impacted the financing of MPLADS, which can be a reason for the decline in funding.” He also said that the MPLADS is an important scheme. However, the overall funds allocated to each MP amount to only around ₹5 crore. This amount is insufficient to address all the problems, as districts have numerous and diverse requirements.
The data from the MPLADS website shows that during the period covering the 14th Lok Sabha, the central government disbursed ₹14,023 crore to all the MPs; however, in the period covering the 16th Lok Sabha, the funds decreased to ₹12,945 crore. In 17th Lok Sabha, it has further gone down to Rs 4,510 crore due to Covid.
During the period covering the 14th Lok Sabha, around 102 per cent of the funds were utilised by the district authority; however, around ₹143 crore remained unspent. During the 16th Lok Sabha, around 99 per cent of the funds were utilised, but ₹1,196 crore remained unspent with district authorities. In the 17th Lok Sabha, around 98 per cent of the funds were utilised, but ₹760 crore remained unspent.
During the period covering the 17th Lok Sabha, MPs of Uttar Pradesh (₹798 crore), Maharashtra (₹360 crore), and West Bengal (₹339 crore) have received the highest funds. However, MPs of states like Delhi (₹45 crore), Haryana (₹81 crore), and Punjab (₹111 crore) received the lowest funds from the central government.
Funds are mainly disbursed for developing facilities like Railways, roads, pathways, and bridges, which received ₹1,679 crore; other public facilities, which received ₹1,128 crore; and education, receiving ₹364 crore in this given period. Around 73 per cent of funds were disbursed for these sectors alone during the period covering the 17th Lok Sabha.
Head of Outreach at PRS Legislative Research, Chakshu Roy, pointed out, “The decline in MPLADS funds can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the MPLAD scheme has a fundamental issue. It is the government’s responsibility to carry out developmental works on the ground. A scheme that gives public representatives the responsibility of on-the-ground developmental activity should not exist at all.”
