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Delhi Cabinet approved a massive 50 per cent hike in MLA Local Area Development Fund (MLALAD), each MLA's fund will be increased from Rs 10 crores to Rs 15 crores per year, as per an official release.
This move is announced by Chief Minister Atishi and Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday. Speaking at the press conference, CM Atishi emphasised the importance of the MLALAD fund in a democracy. She stated that it is a crucial mechanism for local residents to initiate development projects in their constituencies. "Today, there was an important meeting of the Delhi government's Cabinet at the Delhi Secretariat, where a major decision was made regarding the MLA-LAD Fund. The MLA-LAD Fund is a very important fund in a democracy through which local residents can get small or large development works done through their MLA. The MLA Fund represents the voice of the people to get their work done. Today, the Delhi Cabinet has made a significant decision by increasing the MLA Fund from Rs 10 crores per year to Rs15 crores per year. No other state in the country provides such a large MLA Fund as Delhi," CM Atishi said. Highlighting comparisons with other states, she noted that Gujarat allocates Rs 1.5 crores per MLA constituency, while states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka provide Rs 2 crores. Even larger states such as Maharashtra, Kerala, and Rajasthan allocate only Rs 5 crores, making Delhi's Rs 15 crores the most significant in the country. "Now, Delhi will provide Rs 15 crores per year, not only the highest in the country but also three times more than most states. For the past ten years, under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government has been working for the people of Delhi--whether they live in slums, unauthorized colonies, or big bungalows. In the coming years, the Delhi government will continue to work for the people of Delhi," she stated. As per the release, Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj further elaborated on the rationale behind the increase, particularly in light of the damage caused by this year's heavy rains. "This year Delhi has experienced a lot of rain, which has caused damage to the roads, parks, walkways, and walls. Due to the increased rain, there are also issues with sewers in many places--they have become clogged or silted up, and new sewer lines have been laid. MLAs have been regularly bringing these issues to our attention, and the increased MLA Fund will enable them to quickly provide relief without waiting for long departmental sanctions," he stated. He emphasised that the flexibility of the MLA Fund allows representatives to address local concerns promptly, ensuring faster and more efficient responses to infrastructure and development needs across the city. "The good thing about the MLA Fund is that it was created to allow MLAs to quickly address local issues. I believe that the main reason for increasing this fund is that many projects get delayed due to departmental sanctions. This fund will allow MLAs to provide immediate relief to the public." (ANI)
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