DEHRADUN: An RTI query filed by a Kashipur-based activist has revealed that more than Rs 4700 crore of MPLAD funds have not been sanctioned in the last 6 years.
The RTI reply revealed that a total Rs 4617 crore MPLAD funds have not been sanctioned from financial year 2014-15 to 2019-20 starting from the year Modi-led BJP government came in power.
The MPLADS fund, worth Rs 5 crore per year paid in two instalments, can be utilised anywhere in the constituency of an elected MP.
The instalments are released only after an MP is able to produce records of expenditure of previously allocated funds, RTI activist Nadeemudin said.
Nadimuddin, RTI activist based in Kashipur town of Udham Singh Nagar district told The New Indian Express, "The reply from the union ministry of statistics and programme implementation provided me with links of the website of the department where all details are available."
The reply also stated that since the financial year 2014-15, Rs 2587 crore remain tone sanctioned to members of the lower house of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Rs 2130 Crore to the members of the upper house (Rajya Sabha) of the Parliament.
Interestingly, for ongoing financial year of 2019-20, 43% of the funds have been sanctioned till February 2020, states the RTI reply.
Earlier, TNIE had reported that none of the five Lok Sabha MPs from Uttarakhand were able to completely utilise the funds allocated to them through the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till December 2019.
In January, this year, the RTI reply by the same activist revealed that 503 Members of Parliament (out of total 543) from Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament of India ) including union home minister Amit Shah failed to furnish property details after getting elected for 17th Lok Sabha in May, 2019.
According to Members of the Lok Sabha Declaration of Assets Rules 2004, every elected member should declare their property details within 90 days of their election.
The RTI query was filed by Nadimuddin in Udham Singh Nagar district. The reply states the data until December 10, 2019.