Constituency funds to help Congress MLAs

The Constituency Development Programme (CDP) relaunched by the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, has been ‘tweaked’ to help ruling party MLAs and to create difficulties for Opposition legislators.
The Chief Minister had announced the revival of CDP in his Budget proposals and had also enhanced the allotment to each MLA to Rs 1 crore from the earlier Rs 50 lakh.
Both the Treasury and the Opposition benches welcomed the resurrection of the CDP with joy, but going by the guidelines being
prepared, it looks as if Opposition MLAs are not going to have a cakewalk.
The state government has decided to depute district in-charge ministers to sanction works to the tune of Rs 50 lakh in the each constituency.
After the Chief Minister revived the CDP in his Budget proposals of February 20, several Congress MLAs asked him to introduce the clause involving the in-charge ministers so that the Opposition MLAs do not hog all the glory for development in their constituencies. Under this clause, the CDP amount of Rs 1 crore per annum will be split into two halves and each MLA will be empowered to sanction works worth Rs 50 lakh in the constituency.
However, district in-charge ministers will sanction the remaining work worth Rs 50 lakh.
This will give the
Congress an advantage
even in constituencies represented by Opposition members.
It is said that the government is planning to allow defeated Congress candidates to propose works to be sanctioned by the in-charge ministers.
This means that in a constituency represented by an Opposition MLA or MLC, the defeated rivals would be having a big stake too.