By Dominick Rodrigues
Mumbai: Delay, dilution or diversion should be avoided in reaching out development to people, while parliamentarians should shun populism in ensuring use of MPLADS funds for Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojna to develop villages as model villages, Vice Presidenti M. Venkaiah Naidu said during a virtual book release recently.
The book titled “Parliamentary Messenger in Rajasthan” and written by Dr K.N. Bhandari focuses on the health and education initiatives undertaken through the MPLAD Scheme on the recommendation of Dr Abhishek Singhvi in Rajasthan over 12 years from 2006 to 2018. The Vice President hoped that the book will serve as a guide for all stakeholders involved in the developmental work under MPLADS.
Since its inception in 1993, the Scheme witnessed Rs.52,810 crores being spent for completion of over 19 crore,47 thousand works alongside creating assets across the country that also saw high degree of involvement of local communities in the identification of works, Naidu said while lauding the Government’s decision to put in place ‘third party monitoring’ of MPLADS works for ensuring their execution in a transparent manner, besides streamlining the processes for creation of assets through the scheme.
“Dr Singhvi underscored the importance of designing initiatives, which are both innovative and location-specific. Railway platform benches and ambulances on specific stretches of accident-prone roads or region specific initiatives — like the setting up ‘Piaos’ in arid and parched areas of western Rajasthan — are schemes that address critical needs of the people of this area, he said while highlighting suggestions made by parliamentary committees for improving the scheme through timely release and proper utilization of funds, monitoring mechanism for quality of works/projects and their timely completion, besides need for effective coordination between MPs and administrative authorities.
Noting decreasing level of debates in the House and politicians’ image in people’s eyes, the Vice President urged MPs to become role models in upholding dignity and decency in their duties. The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Union Minister Thawarchand Gehloi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr Abhishek Singhvi and other MPs participated in the virtual event.
