Bandi Sanjay says 94% of MPLADS funds are already allocated

Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar has rejected a report by India’s Empowered that alleged MPs are lagging behind in the use of funds under the Members of Parliament Local Development Program (MPLADS). He described the report as “misleading” and said it did not take into account the progress of work and the approval process in the implementation of MPLADS projects.

Citing his Karimnagar parliamentary constituency as an example, he claimed that under MPLADS, ₹17.50 crore had been allocated for the 18th Lok Sabha, of which ₹16.47 crore or 94.1% worth of works had already been utilised. In the last three years, he submitted 627 proposals to the District Collectors based on public requests for community halls, wells, high mast lighting and CC communication. These were 313 proposals from Karimnagar district, 39 from Hanamkonda, 45 from Jagtial, 151 from Rajanna Sircilla and 79 from Siddipet.

According to the minister, the district collectors approved 82.29% of the proposals, the rest are pending. He argued that the use of MPLADS should be assessed by considering the entire process, from proposal submission and administrative approval to execution and completion of works.

Mr. Sanjay Kumar also said that he had utilized ₹ 2.5 crore from unspent MPLADS funds left by former Karimnagar MP Boinpally Vinod Kumar during his tenure. However, he said the funds provided annually were insufficient to address the growing needs of local development, and MPs repeatedly urged the Center to increase allocations.

The minister noted that there are still seven months left in the current financial year, yet no MPLADS funds are pending with him as all eligible proposals have already been forwarded to the district authorities. He also said that efforts are being made to mobilize corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to meet other local development requirements, a press release said.

Bandi Sanjay urged a more balanced evaluation and called on the organization to consider each stage of the MPLADS implementation process before drawing conclusions about the use of funds.

Published – 01 Sep 2026 20:32 IST