No plan for MLALAD fund: CM Khattar

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar on Monday told the House that the state government has no plans to start MLA local area development (MLALAD) fund on the lines of Member of Parliament local area development (MPLAD) fund.
He said that MLAs have to get development work done in their assembly constituency under schemes of the government.
The chief minister who was responding to a discussion on the issue by five Congress MLAs – Varun Chaudhary, Aftab Ahmed, Bharat Bhushan Batra, Amit Sihag and Shalley – said the state government had given ₹ five crores each to the MLAs for the development work in their constituencies in 2014 and 2019.
Congress MLA Varun Chaudhary, who initiated the discussion said that neighbouring Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have made provisions for MLALAD fund. His senior party colleague, Bharat Bhushan Batra said that CM’s stance of altogether dismissing the demand for MLALAD fund was unfair.
“The Vidhayak Adarsh Gram Yojana (VAGY) referred to by the Development and Panchayats minister would not work for urban constituencies like mine and the CM,” Batra said. Congress MLA Amit Sihag said that though MPs have financial powers, it is unfortunate that the MLAs who play an important role in grassroot democracy did not have any financial empowerment.
The Chief Minister said that all the 90 MLAs would send a list of works done in their areas, in which the works whose completion certificates are yet to come would also be included. If any work is left out of this list, then the MLA should inform the government about it, and further action will be taken on it as soon as possible.