Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Mar 2: As a part of new allocations from his MPLAD fund, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also the Lok Sabha Member from Udhampur-Kathua-Doda constituency, today announced another Rs.10 lakh for development works in Bhaderwah.
With this latest release, Dr Jitendra Singh has achieved the distinction of becoming possibly the first Member of Parliament from the State to have exhausted around 70 % out of a total amount of Rs.2.5 cr. of the first installment of MPLAD fund in a brief span of just four months, considering the fact that the MPLAD fund for the current year was released with some delay by the end of August 2014 due to the constituting of the new Lok Sabha and thereafter for nearly two months, no fund expenditure could be disbursed in Jammu & Kashmir because of the model code of conduct, Assembly elections, flood relief work and other reasons.
Pertinent to note that out of Rs 2.5 cr, about Rs 10 lakh is earmarked for administrative expenses which, in other words, means that the total amount available for spending from the first installment is just about Rs 2.40 cr.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, he had made a commitment to his voters that the total amount spent by him in his constituency will be at least four times the amount of MP-LAD fund available to him as a Member of Parliament. Living up to this commitment, he said, he had managed the entire funding of the flood-ravaged Saddal village in Udhampur district from sources outside the MP-LAD and the work to develop this village as a ‘smart village’ will be completed by mid-2016.
Similarly, he said, three villages, namely Sangwali on Samba-Kathua highway, Humbal in Tehsil Khilhani in Doda district and Bhattan in Kishtwar district have been adopted under the “Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana” to be developed as ‘model villages’ and the work on the first two of these villages has already started. In total, he said,he plans to adopt six villages by the end of his 5-year term, out of which the effort would be to complete the work on four villages within the 5-year term, while the work on the other two villages will continue into next term.
Under the Govt of India’s “Gram Aushudi Yojana”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, he had identified villages in Kathua district for cultivation of Aromatic plants and the plan lay -out for the purpose had been prepared.
In addition to this, Dr Jitendra Singh also informed about the project to bring up around 2000 toilets as well as to set up science laboratories in schools and provide computers for young students through funds raised from various schemes and Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
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