Coimbatore: "The Central government's announcement of the cancellation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), for two years is not acceptable", said MP PR Natarajan, in an interview.
Coimbatore: "The Central government's announcement of the cancellation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), for two years is not acceptable", said MP PR Natarajan, in an interview.
"The funds from the MPLADS are used for the benefit of the poor and downtrodden people in any village in a Parliamentary constituency that has not received any benefits from the government. This is how the MPLADS benefit the people. In TN, each year approximately Rs.300 crore is being allotted and used for the benefit of the people. Funds that can be used for the benefit of the people for two years are now being made unavailable, and it can be considered as the government trying to redirect the funds towards itself", he criticized.
He further said, "The allocation of funds for the measures being undertaken to fight COVID-19 show the partiality of the government. If the funds that are due for the MPLADS are relinked to the Central Government's funds, their distribution will remain unknown. There will be no record to show which state the funds were allotted to. It is not ethical to snatch the money that may be used for the benefit of the people who voted for the elected candidates."
Citing the Modi government's allocation of Rs.25 thousand crore for the construction of a new Parliament building and the creation of the Rajpath, he said, "Considering the emergency situation in the country, that fund can be allocated as the fund for the prevention of COVID-19. Instead of pushing non essential things that were announced for later, the Central Government is keen to proceed with the activities that highlight the BJP. It is unacceptable that they are not ready to show the slightest level of concern towards the people who are suffering."
Requesting the Central Government to reconsider their decision he said, "The MPLADS funds will be helpful for the poor and downtrodden people and the people who have been suffering due to the COVID-19 crisis. We hope that this decision will be reconsidered."