Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu made this announcement in the Assembly on Wednesday following a heated debate during Question Hour. He added that the government would also consider releasing the MLA discretionary fund.
Responding to a query by Jogindernagar MLA Prakash Rana, Sukhu said future disbursements of the development funds would be discussed with opposition leaders soon.
However, the chief minister raised objections regarding allocation of funds by BJP MLA Rana. He noted that the MLA had distributed funds to 543 Mahila Mandals (women’s groups), stating that the norms restrict such allocations to 10 per cent of the total fund.
He said that Rana distributed the MLA Area Development Fund to 543 women groups. Sukhu advised legislators to prioritise capital works to bolster the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). “This amount can be given to women’s organisations, but not beyond certain limits,” he said.
Earlier, MLA Rana accused the government of misleading the public and claimed that withholding the funds had rendered MLAs ineffective. He questioned why the money was stalled despite being earmarked in the state budget.
Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur supported Rana, questioning whether a budget passed by the Assembly could be effectively abolished. He demanded the immediate release of the local area development funds, asserting that the MLAs were spending this fund for development works in their areas rather than personal expenditure.
Thakur also pointed out that the chief minister had himself announced Rs 20,000 each to 600 Mahila Mandals, totalling Rs 2 crore. He asked if those allocations had created any permanent assets, adding that MLAs require these funds to repair roads and infrastructure damaged during recent natural disasters.
