NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Tuesday decided to increase the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) funds from Rs 4 crores to Rs 10 crores. In order to honor former president APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, the government has decided to install their pictures in the Delhi Assembly.
A ceremony will be held on August 10 regarding the same. The event will be organized at Delhi Vidhan Sabha and families of Kalam and Shastri have been invited be part of the ceremony. Kalam who belonged to Tamil Nadu also has a road in Lutyen's Delhi named after him after.
"Apart from families, common people, senior officers from other states and Delhi including Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA's) will participate in the event," said Speaker of the Delhi assembly Ram Niwas Goel.
Earlier, in 2016, Delhi government opened a memorial to honor "People's President" Kalam at INA near Dilli Haat which is now open for the public with notes, books, clothes and other personal items of the former president of India.
Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India and a senior leader of Indian National Congress Party.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia informed the assembly about the approval given to the proposal of the Urban Development ministry. -"The cabinet has decided to increase the MLA LAD fund from the existing Rs 4 crore to Rs 10 crore in a year," Sisodia told the Assembly on the second day of the Monsoon Session.
In Delhi, a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) currently gets Rs 4 crore in a year to execute various works in his or her constituency. The Delhi government informed that decision was taken in view of the ever increasing infrastructural needs of the national capital.
The BJP which is in Opposition said the move was political rather than to help the people."For three and half years Aam Aadmi Party MLAs did not do anything for the city. Now when elections are coming closer they have suddenly woken up and increased the fund to Rs 10 crore. There will be no good to the people, till the time the amount is rightly spent" said Vijendra Gupta Leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly.