Approximately 75% of allocated funds to Tamil Nadu’s 39 Members of Parliament (MPs) under MPLADS from 2019 to 2024 remain unutilized. There’s a significant shortfall in the allocation from the Centre, amounting to 44.64%.
Information Source
- Data sourced from the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, disclosed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
- Dayanand Krishnan, a Chennai-based GIS consultant, received the information.
Allocation Details
- Annual entitlement for an MP under MPLADS is ₹5 crore.
- MPLADS was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 6, 2020, to November 9, 2021), with no funds allocated for FY 2020-21.
- For the remainder of FY 2021-22 (November 10, 2021, to March 31, 2022), ₹2 crore was allocated per MP.
Fund Release Mechanism
- MPs are provided annual drawing limits at the start of each financial year, subject to specific conditions.
- The release of funds is contingent on meeting fund-related criteria and submitting requisite documents by district authorities.
Allocation Discrepancy
- The total allocation should have amounted to ₹663 crore, but only ₹367 crore was awarded, resulting in a 44.64% shortfall.
Utilization and Expenditure
- Total expenditure stands at over ₹93 crore.
- The unspent amount accounts for roughly ₹274 crore, constituting around 75% of the total allocation.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- What percentage of allocated funds to Tamil Nadu’s MPs under MPLADS from 2019 to 2024 remain unutilized?
- A) 25%
- B) 50%
- C) 75%
- D) 100%
- Answer: C) 75%
- What was the duration of MPLADS suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
- A) April 6, 2020, to November 9, 2021
- B) April 6, 2021, to November 9, 2022
- C) April 6, 2019, to November 9, 2020
- D) April 6, 2020, to November 9, 2022
- Answer: A) April 6, 2020, to November 9, 2021
- What was the percentage shortfall in the allocation from the Centre to Tamil Nadu’s MPs under MPLADS?
- A) 10%
- B) 25%
- C) 44.64%
- D) 50%
- Answer: C) 44.64%
- What was the maximum allocation received by any MP in Tamil Nadu under MPLADS?
- A) ₹14.7 crore
- B) ₹10 crore
- C) ₹5 crore
- D) ₹20 crore
- Answer: A) ₹14.7 crore
- Which parliamentary constituency showed no expenditure according to the data?
- A) Chennai Central
- B) Madurai
- C) Coimbatore
- D) Pollachi
- Answer: A) Chennai Central