MPLADS for Medical Facilities

• 25 Mar 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has made amendments to the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) guidelines.

Key Points

• The amendments allow Members of Parliament (MPs) to recommend funds for purchase of medical testing and screening equipment for government hospitals and setting up of other related facilities in their respective constituencies, to contain COVID-19.
• For the same, the government has permitted one-time use of funds from MPLADS.
  
  • Expenditure under this one-time dispensation will be restricted to the end of financial year 2020-21 and no expenditure, under any circumstances, shall be allowed to make/roll over into next financial year 2021-22.
• Apart from this, field work of large-scale sample surveys has been suspended by the National Statistical Office (NSO).

Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme

• It was announced in December 1993 and initially came under the control of the Ministry of Rural Development. Later, in October 1994, it was transferred to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• The 1^st Guidelines were issued in February 1994, covering the concept, implementation and monitoring of the Scheme.
• Objective:
  
  • To enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs to be taken up in their Constituencies.
    
    • Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their constituencies and elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State they are elected from.
    • Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.
  • To create durable assets of national priorities viz. drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads, etc.
• It is a Central Sector Scheme. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is ₹5 crore.
• The recommendations of the works are made by the MPs for the betterment of the community.

Source: IE