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VIEWPOINT: FIFTH COLUMN
Development
Dud
The MPLAD scheme involves corruption and misuse of
the taxpayers' money
By Tavleen Singh
Sometime during the
course of this Tehelka-troubled session of Parliament, a report was tabled
that could wipe the smile off the face of every mp in the land. And perhaps
that of every MLA as well. It was the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General
of India (CAG) for the year ended March 2000, on the Member of Parliament
Local Area Development scheme (MPLAD). Concealed in the turgid prose that
typifies Indian government reports is a tale of corruption and misuse
of taxpayers' money that makes Bangaru Laxman's pathetic little Rs 1 lakh
"gift" seem like a tip to a peon.
The MPLAD scheme allowing mps Rs 2 crore to
spend on development works in their constituencies was a gift to members
of parliament from P.V. Narasimha Rao when he was prime minister. He headed
a minority government and needed the support of mps so badly that he wanted
to do something that would win their gratitude. So in December 1993, he
ordained that mps would be allowed to spend Rs 1 crore in their constituencies
on creating "durable assets". He still needed to buy votes to
keep himself in power but that is another story.
The scheme was such a hit with mps that in 1998
their constituency development allowance was doubled to Rs 2 crore. They
now want more. They want this allowance to go up to Rs 7 crore per constituency
and-unlike real development-this scheme has a trickle-down effect so most
state governments have extended similar allowances to MLAs as well. Even
wretchedly poor and underdeveloped Bihar sets aside a small fortune for
its MLAs to spend. And what does the CAG's audit tell us? "In its
present form, the scheme, in operation since December 1993, has hardly
served its main objectives ... besides the fact that a significant part
of released money was not utilised, the works carried out in a large number
of cases did not qualify for the definition of durable assets. A large
number remain incomplete. Several others were either inadmissible or were
not recommended by the members of Parliament."
Since 1993, Rs 5,017.80 crore has been released
for the scheme of which only Rs 3,221.21 crore has actually been spent.
Of the 41,955 development works that have been sanctioned 20,874-nearly
half-remain incomplete. The closer you read the report the worse the story
gets. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which administers
the scheme, admits that it still doesn't have the proper means to monitor
the monies it dishes out but continues to dish out more and more money.
Under the scheme, the Centre transfers money directly to district collectors
who then spend it according to the wishes of the local mp.
 Technically,
an mp should use the money only to build "durable assets" for
the public good. Drinking water schemes, sanitation, schools, tube wells,
roads-things that rural India desperately lacks-are the sort of durable
assets they should be spending their allowance on. In a country as poor
as ours, in which starvation deaths are still reported, in which access
to healthcare is still a dream, you would imagine that there would be
no shortage of real development works on which the MPs could spend their
Rs 2 crore. But in constituency after constituency, the CAG found the
money being spent on "inadmissible works". It comes as no surprise
that much of the development works that our MPs sanction benefit local
officials and the police. Police stadiums have been built, district commissioners'
offices have been beautified, and government houses have been constructed.
In seven constituencies in Uttar Pradesh Rs 102.04 lakh was spent on "boundary
wall to dm residence, library and computer room in collectorate",
and so on.
It is the usual story of our netas and babus
colluding to spend our money on improving their own living conditions
and those of their families and friends. Worse still, the CAG has produced
a long list of constituencies in which MP development funds have been
spent on building private clubs, ashrams and memorials. And, when the
money remains unspent it seems to disappear since it doesn't come back
to the central government.
When it comes to duplicity and chicanery, the
Indian politician is hard to rival. So post-Tehelka we have been subjected
to endless, sanctimonious speeches about the evils of corruption. For
obvious reasons, our opposition MPs have been particularly vocal and particularly
sanctimonious. They began with a demand that the government resign, reduced
it to a demand that a joint parliamentary committee investigate Tehelka
and shouted so much that it was impossible for Parliament to function
for most of the budget session. Well, here is a wonderful opportunity
for them to put their money where their mouth is: what about a joint parliamentary
committee on the MPLAD? It is, in its way, a bigger scandal than the one
unearthed by tehelka.com.
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