Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme

The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is meant to enable Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on creation of durable community assets based on locally felt needs to be taken up in their constituencies in the area of national priorities namely drinking water, education, public health, sanitation, roads etc.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been responsible for the policy formulation, release of funds and prescribing monitoring mechanism for implementation of the Scheme.

The MPLADS is fully funded by the Government of India. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.
Funds under the MPLADS are non-lapsable.
Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their Constituencies and Elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State of Election (with select exceptions). Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.
All works to meet locally felt infrastructure and development needs, with an emphasis on creation of durable assets in the constituency are permissible under MPLADS as prescribed in the scheme guidelines.
The MPLADS funds can be merged with other schemes such as MGNREGA and Khelo India.

The guidelines recommend MPs to suggest works costing at least 15 per cent of their MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by Scheduled Tribe population.
In case there is insufficient tribal population in the area of Lok Sabha Member, they may recommend this amount for the creation of community assets in tribal areas outside of their constituency but within their State of election.

Under MPLADS, the role of the MPs is limited only upto recommendation of works. Thereafter, it is the responsibility of the District Authority to sanction, execute and complete the works recommended by Members of Parliament within the stipulated time.
The District Authority shall identify the Implementing Agency capable of executing the eligible work qualitatively, timely and satisfactorily. It shall be responsible for timely and effective implementation of such works.
Information on MPLADS (the number and cost of works sanctioned, implementing agencies, projects completed, etc) should be made available to citizens under the Right to Information Act.
At least 10% of the projects under implementation in the district are to be inspected every year by the district authority.

In April 2020, the central government announced suspension of MPLADS for two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suspension of the MPLAD Scheme will make Rs 7,800 crore available to the government which will go to the Consolidated Fund of India to fight COVID-19 .

The Central Government has clarified that there is no proposal for restoration of MPLADS which has been stopped in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

Today Current Affairs Upsc Exam Syllabus & Previous Yearpaper.