The Uttarakhand Government has increased the MLA-LAD fund (Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Fund) to Rs 2.5 crore. Earlier the fund was Rs 2 crore.

Irrespective of whether your MLA manages to spend all of this fund or not; lets welcome this increase. Because a bigger fund at the disposal of your representative, will eventually benefit you. But these are the areas where it must be spent.

But there is one word of caution for us here: Let us not expect our MPs or MLAs to spend their Local Area development funds (Sansad Nidhi or Vidhayak Nidhi) on creating roads or repairing drains in his/her constituency. Let us NOT praise him for donating the money to some temple or other religious institution.

Your MP or MLA is not representing you for these tasks. He or she is representing you for creating broader policies for your welfare. That is policies which benefit education, employment and people welfare in long run.

So what is the best way for your MP or MLA to spend the Nidhi or LAD?

He must spend the money on setting up an office where he can create a research team. This research team ably supported by the ancillary staff will conduct thorough study and meaningful research into the policy changes taken up by the MP/MLA. Remember that your MP or MLA may not have the time or adequate information at his disposal to take well informed policy decisions for you. A good research team is the way he can make up for the deficiency. So as a voter, please do ensure that your MP or MLA employs a good research team. Your MP or MLA's Local Area development fund is for creating such a research team. It is NOT meant to build or repair a road or a drain for you.

To conclude, your MLA or MP's LAD may increase in future as well. The increase is good for us and we must welcome it. But do ensure that 80 percent of that fund (for 5 crore it is 4 Crores and for 2.5 it will be 2 crores) must go towards maintaining an office, staff and his research team. The rest 20 percent must be spent by him for his own use.

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