BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday launched the MLA’s local area development MLA LAD web portal, an initiative to streamline the administrative operations for swift and transparent execution of essential infrastructure projects for the public in a time-bound manner.
Launching the portal (https://mlalads.odisha.gov.in) at Lok Seva Bhawan, Majhi also released the simplified guidelines for MLA’s local area development (LAD) fund and chief minister’s special assistance (CM-SA).
“The revised guidelines are transparent, easier to understand and time-efficient. It will bring efficiency to administrative processes and facilitate the swift and transparent execution of essential and small-scale basic infrastructure projects for the public,” he said.
The chief minister said the new guidelines prioritise various sectors and allow for the inclusion of essential projects while excluding non-essential ones. The approval process, from project proposal to issue of work order, has been streamlined to take no more than 30 days.
The CM-SA guidelines will also facilitate faster execution of projects, he added.
The new portal will enable MLAs to efficiently manage project proposals, need assessment, planning, cost estimation, approval, issue of work orders, monitoring, inspection, expenditure and project completion within a specified time-frame. They can track the status of projects they have recommended in their constituencies.
This apart, the portal provides detailed information on schemes for the public. Citizens can also access information about projects recommended by their MLAs through this portal, the CM said.
The MLA LAD fund scheme, initiated in 1997-98, has proven to be a robust mechanism for creating essential infrastructure for the public. Over time, the grant allocation for each Assembly constituency has increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 3 crore and for the financial year 2025-26, it has been further increased to Rs 5 crore per constituency.
The new guidelines have been prepared under the direct supervision of the chief secretary and development commissioner as per the recommendations of the chief minister. The process involved suggestions from members of different Assembly Committees, MLAs, guidelines regulating MLA LAD fund of neighbouring states and elaborate discussions on issues arising at the ground-level from project selection to implementation.