Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 28: Assembly speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, said that two crore rupees each being given to MLAs as local area development fund each year with the objective of developing the constituencies of individual legislators has remained unused. He said that efforts are being made to make the best use of the fund at the earliest.

He was speaking after holding a meeting of ministers, legislators and officers about the sanction of MLA local area development fund and progress, on Friday August 27. "In the state, roughly a thousand crore rupees being given annually in Karnataka, is remaining unspent in the accounts of the deputy commissioners of different districts. In Dakshina Kannada, Rs 23 crore has remained unspent. We have requested to hold a meeting at the level of the deputy commissioner and submit a report on the matter within a week," he explained.

He expressed disappointment at the fact that this grant is not being utilised, even though the money which earlier was centralised with the deputy commissioner, was being routed through the assistant commissioner since the last 18 months. He said he has noted that technical problems are also faced at some levels and that he has instructed to sort the issues out by holding a meeting every 15 days at the level of the legislators so that the fund is used in an organised way.

Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLAs Rajesh Naik, Dr Bharath Shetty Y, Harish Poonja, zilla panchayat chief executive officer Dr Kumar, additional deputy commissioner Dr Prajna Ammambal, assistant commissioner Madan Mohan and other officials were present.