The Nadugovernment has sanctioned Rs 352.5 crore towards the implementation of Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme (MLACDS) fully funded by the State Government — for this fiscal. This is 50% of the fund out of Rs 702 crore of budget estimates for the current year.
EachMLAis entitled to get Rs 3 crore to implement the listed schemes in their constituencies. The director of Rural Development andPanchayat Rajis authorised to draw the amount sanctioned and disburse the same to the district collectors and the commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation, rural development and panchayat raj principal secretary P Amudha said in an order.
The MLACDS was launched in 1997-98 with Rs 25 lakh to a constituency to take up work to bridge the infrastructural gap in the constituencies. The state government increased the amount to Rs 35 lakh in the next fiscal and Rs 50 lakh in the following fiscal. In 2000-01, the allocation was further increased to Rs 77 lakh for each assembly constituency. The EPS regime had hiked the fund from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 3 crore per constituency per year.