The AAP government has decided to increase the MLA LAD fund from the existing Rs 4 crore to Rs 10 crore in a year.

Residents of Delhi can hope for significantly better days going ahead. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s proposal to increase the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) fund to a whopping Rs 10 crore annually makes the state government stand out from many major states that are several times bigger in area and population. In a major decision taken by the Cabinet on Tuesday, the AAP government has decided to increase the MLA LAD fund from the existing Rs 4 crore to Rs 10 crore in a year.

This should comes as a big boost for the Delhi government as the sum surpasses many of the bigger states in the country. As per reports, the Karnataka Legislators’ Local Area Development Scheme or KLLADS gives an annual budget of Rs 2 Crore to the MLAs to work on the infrastructure gaps in the state. The fund was first approved in 2001 with a budget of 25 lakhs but then the amount was increased to Rs 2 crore in 2013.

This figure is the same for Maharashtra as well. Under the MLA LAD scheme, MLAs from each constituency gets Rs 2 crore per year for development works. In March, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditynath had announced on a Rs 50 lakh hike in the state MLA’s local area development fund from Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore. It was also announced that GST will not be charged on development works.

Hence, the Delhi government gets around Rs 6 crore more for the MLA LAD funds for key development works that include building school buildings, public libraries, roads, drains; development of parks, public toilets etc.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said it was a demand of every legislator to increase the MLA LAD fund. He added that the utilisation of MLA LAD funds is at the discretion of legislators and can be used for any purpose or local project. Sisodia said that the Cabinet has also given power to the Urban development minister to make minor changes in the MLA LAD funds guidelines.