CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday urged the union government to double the allocation under the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) from the present Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore, and also to ensure timely release of funds for centrally sponsored schemes.
“Since the state already provides MLAs with Rs 3 crore annually, we strongly urge the union government to enhance the MPLADS fund allocation from the current Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore,” the CM said, addressing the fifth meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) in Chennai.
Pointing out that all schemes are designed to reach the people at the very last mile, he added, “The state government has been releasing its share of funds for central government schemes without delay, and through this committee, we strongly urge the centre to also release its share promptly.”
Between 2021-22 and 2025-26, Tamil Nadu received an allocation of Rs 1,274 crore under MPLADS. Using this, 12,045 works were sanctioned, 9,755 completed, and 2,290 are in progress.
Stalin also highlighted procedural delays, noting that approvals in the eSAKSHI portal and scheme deactivation approvals in the PFMS portal are currently granted only by the centre. To avoid this, he suggested that these responsibilities be entrusted to the state nodal agency. The CM also recommended upgrading the eSAKSHI portal to enable constituency-wise summary reports of works recommended by MPs to be directly downloaded.