Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday (February 5) called upon the people’s representatives and governments to ensure that the development reaches the people without any delay, dilution or diversion. He also wanted the MPs to shun populism and guide the people on their developmental needs.
Speaking at a virtual event after releasing the book titled “Parliamentary Messenger in Rajasthan”, the Vice President also urged parliamentarians to use MPLADS funds for Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojna to develop villages as model villages. The book is written by Dr K.N. Bhandari and focuses on the health and education initiatives undertaken through the MPLAD Scheme on the recommendation of Dr Abhishek Singhvi in Rajasthan over 12 years from 2006 to 2018.
Noting that MPLAD Scheme aims at empowering people’s representatives by enabling them to serve their constituents, Shri Naidu said that since its inception in 1993, over 19 crore and 47 thousand works have been completed and the scheme has helped in creating assets across the country.
Referring to some shortcomings mentioned in monitoring reports on the implementation of the scheme, the Vice President also drew attention to several positives of the scheme such as high degree of involvement of local communities in the identification of works.
He expressed his happiness over the Government’s decision to put in place third party monitoring of MPLADS works for their execution in a transparent manner. “I am sure that third party monitoring mechanism coupled with the wisdom and experience of MPs would help streamline the processes for creation of assets through the scheme”, he added.
The Vice President also mentioned several suggestions made by the parliamentary committees to further improve the scheme such as the timely release and proper utilization of funds, a mechanism to monitor the quality of works/projects and their timely completion and the need for effective coordination between MPs and administrative authorities.
The Vice President also called upon the state governments and local administration to ensure timely execution of MPLADS projects by following the recommendations of the MPs in letter and spirit.
Observing that the level of debates in the House and image of the politicians in people’s eyes are going down, the Vice President wanted the MPs to uphold dignity and decency and do their duty sincerely. “Members of Parliament must be role models for other public representatives”, he said.
Praising Dr Abhishek Singhvi for his work as a lawyer and a parliamentarian, the Vice President mentioned his many a contributions, including as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law & Justice many years ago. He said that the book illustrates the power of doing public good through sound, targeted and efficient use of MPLAD funds and hoped that it will serve as a guide for all stakeholders involved in the developmental work under MPLADS.
The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr Abhishek Singhvi and other MPs participated in the virtual event.
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