Government to hike MLA development fund
Urban development minister Satyendar Jain said the Cabinet's decision will be implemented by this year.
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday approved a proposal to increase the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) fund from Rs 4 crore to 10 crore annually. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Informing the Assembly about the Cabinet’s decision, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said it was a demand of every legislator to increase the MLA LAD fund.
“The Cabinet has decided to increase the MLA LAD fund from the existing Rs 4 crore to Rs 10 crore in a year,” Mr Sisodia told the Delhi Assembly on the second day of the monsoon session.
It was a good example of decentralisation of funds and functioning, he said, adding the Delhi government is the first of its kind in the country which wants to ensure local development through MLAs from different parties.
“The utilisation of MLA LAD funds is at the discretion of legislators and can be used for any purpose or local project,” Mr Sisodia said.
Asked about problems faced by legislators in spending funds, Mr Sisodia said the Cabinet has also given power to the urban development minister to make minor changes in guidelines meant for the MLA LAD fund. In Delhi, an MLA currently gets Rs 4 crore in a year to execute various works in his or her constituency.
Urban development minister Satyendar Jain said the Cabinet’s decision will be implemented by this year.
In December 2015, the Delhi Assembly had passed a bill seeking 400 per cent hike in the basic salary of the legislators and the ministers besides hefty increase in perks and allowances. The bill is pending with the Union home ministry for its approval.
According to the bill, the basic salary of the legislators will increase from the current Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 and their overall monthly pay will be around Rs 2.1 lakh as against Rs 88,000 at present.
The basic salary of the ministers, the Speaker and the deputy Speaker, the chief whip, and the Leader of Opposition will be around Rs 80,000 and their total emoluments will be nearly Rs 3.67 lakh as against Rs 1.2 lakh now.