Perhaps it is not surprising that Jammu & Kashmir's Doda, Ramban and Kistwar districts are among the backward districts in the country. Two political heavyweights representing the region in the Parliament — Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Lok Sabha MP Chaudhry Lal Singh — are among the worst performers on spending their allotted funds under the MPs Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).
Now that the curtains have come down on the 15th Lok Sabha, statistics reveal that while Azad spent just 45.04% from his funds, Lal Singh, a second-time MP and also a former state health minister spent just 58.69% from his funds. Former Union minister Satpal Maharaj, representing Garhwal, has the most dismal performance, spending just 36.78% while BJP’s cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, who represents Darbhanga in Bihar, spent a meagre 39.58%.
When contacted, Kirti Azad blamed Bihar's district administration for the dismal performance. “I have booked and released funds for all schemes. I have allocated money for the purchase and setting up of transformers. But we MPs can recommend schemes. The administration has to actually release and spend the money. Unless the Bihar administration sends utilisation certificates, the central government doesn’t release further installemnts,” he explained.
In Rajya Sabha, nominated MP and noted poet Javed Akhtar utilised just 34.22% while cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has yet to open his account of spending his MPLAD fund. Cine star Rekha too has still to adopt a district where she can spend her allocated funds. Congress general secretary BK Hariprasad, elected last year, and BJP’s Basawaraj Patil, a Rajya Sabha member from 2012, too have not spent a single rupee, according to information from the Rajya Sabha secretariat.
MPLADS: Worst performing Lok Sabha members
Satpal Maharaj (Garhwal) 36.78%
Kirti Azad (Dharbhanga) 39.58%
Ramesh Kumar (South Delhi) 53%
Dayanidi Maran (Chennai Central) 45.47%
Madhu Koda (former Jharkhand CM) 45.87%
Diniesh Chandra Yadav (Bihar) 49.27%
Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Bihar) 38.16%
MPLADS: Worst performing Rajya Sabha members
KR. Arjunan, R. Lakshmanan, T Rathinavel, KC Tyagi, Baswaraj Pati, BK Hariprasad, Sachin Tendulkar, Rekha (Nominated), Dharmedra Pradhan, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh – 0
K Prasaran - 4%
Ram Kripal Yadav - 17.29%
DP Tripathi - 21%
Ch. Munawar Hussain - 21.06%
Mrinal Miri - 30%
NK Singh - 37.33%
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