Author: Editorial
Publication: The Times of India
Date: November 2, 2009
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Scrap-The-Scheme/articleshow/5186476.cms
Introduction: Parliament panel proposes hike
in MPLADS funds
Trust our MPs to come together when the issue
at stake is funds to dispense patronage. In a rare case of solidarity, MPs
of various parties have unanimously proposed that the allocation for the Member
of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) be hiked from Rs 2 crore
a year to Rs 10 crore. The government must not only reject the proposal by
the Lok Sabha Standing Committee on MPLADS but also rethink the scheme. Since
its institution in 1993, MPLADS has been under a cloud; the constitutional
validity of the scheme is also under challenge in the Supreme Court.
MPLADS distorts the role of the legislator
and upsets the delicate balance of power between the legislature and the executive.
The aim of the scheme is not without merit. Every MP is entitled to Rs 2 crore
every year to build durable public assets in his constituency - a Rajya Sabha
MP could use it anywhere in his state. Guidelines have been drawn up to prevent
misuse of the funds though studies have revealed massive corruption in the
implementation of the scheme. Many states have now replicated the scheme for
MLAs, who are likely to demand a hike in their share if MPs have their way.
But corruption is just one of the problems
with MPLADS. The scheme is flawed in its conception as it subverts the roles
of the legislature and the executive as defined in the Constitution. In a
parliamentary democracy, Parliament sanctions funds for projects approved
by the House. The executive has to implement the project and the legislature
is expected to supervise the executive. The MPLADS provides public funds to
be used at the discretion of an individual and, predictably, the money is
often used as an instrument of patronage. The quality of public works carried
out under the scheme also suffers since the demarcation between the roles
of the legislator and the executive is compromised.
The National Commission to Review the Working
of the Constitution set up by the NDA government as well as the Second Administrative
Reforms Commission called for a repeal of the MPLADS for these reasons. The
scheme also militates against the move to decentralise government wherever
possible. The MPLADS is almost a parallel planning system in which central
funds bypass the state government and panchayati raj institutions and allow
an individual legislator to spend them according to his discretion. The scheme
subverts the federal character of our polity. The government must scrap the
scheme.
