Govt rules out refund of unused MPLADS funds

The Government has turned down a recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) that the state government should return the funds contributed by MPs for rehabilitation work if not utilised within a year.

In its reply to the committee recommendation, the government took the stand that once the funds are committed from MPLADS, the state government or district authority duly takes them into consideration in their overall efforts for rehabilitation and reconstruction and hence “it might not be feasible to subsequently withdraw the earlier committee funds unless they themselves refund the same as surplus/excess.”

The committee had recommended that a definite timeframe may be fixed for utilization of the funds and the money remaining unutilised may be withdrawn and sent back to the nodal districts of the concerned MPs for utilisation there.

A report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday on the actions taken by the government on the recommendations referred to the government’s reply in response to the committee faulting the Gujarat Government sitting over Rs 9.42 crore that remained unutilised for over 11 years from the funds given by the MPs for rehabilitation in the areas devastated in the 2001 earthquake.