CM has spent 43 pc of MLA funds till October

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 29

Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who was elected from Dharchula, continues to lag behind in spending his MLA LAD (local area development) funds. Since his election in 2014 till October this year, he has spent only 43 per cent of the funds while his colleagues have spent more money this year compared to the last few years.

Several MLAs, who were lagging earlier in spending MLA LAD funds for development activities, have increased spending this year.

In December last year, Harish Rawat along with Finance Minister Hridayesh, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pritam Singh and School Education and Drinking Water Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani had spent no money from the funds.

However, by October end and as the elections are nearing, the three ministers have improved their track record and spent above 70 per cent of the funds.

“As the MLA LAD funds don’t lapse and can be carried forward to three subsequent years, the MLAs don’t spend money for the first three years and start spending it in the last two years,” said Dr RS Tolia, former Chief Secretary.

Pritam Singh, MLA from Chakrata, has spent 75 per cent of his funds on 1,542 works. Out of these 1,080 works have been completed while the work on the remaining projects is in progress. He has been allocated Rs 13.25 crore since 2012.

Similarly, Hridayesh has spent 75 per cent of her funds on 433 works and out of these 303 have been completed. She has been allocated Rs13.25 crore since her election as MLA in 2012.

Naithani, MLA from Devprayag, has so far spent 81 per cent of his funds. He has released Rs 11.90 crore for 672 works in the district.

Though the Department of Rural Development has been issuing guidelines to MLAs to discourage this tendency, these are amended keeping with their wishes.

Significantly, all 10 disqualified MLAs and Dhan Singh Bhandari of the BJP, who resigned from his seat, had received Rs 10.50 crore since 2012. Their remaining installment was withheld upon their disqualification this year. But these MLAs still utilised most of their funds in their constituencies. Former MLA Amrita Rawat has spent 99 per cent of her MLA LAD funds while Shailender Mohan, former Jaspur MLA, too has spent 99 per cent of the funds.

Umesh Sharma, former Congress MLA, has spent 96 per cent of his funds on 305 works in his Raipur constituency while Subodh Uniyal, former MLA from Tehri, has spent 82 per cent of the funds.