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Delhi News: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has reduced the MLA LAD fund from Rs 15 crore to Rs 5 crore, which will save Rs 700 crore. This decision will be implemented from 2025-26.

Highlights

• Rekha Gupta reduced MLA LAD fund to Rs 5 crore.
• This decision will save Rs 700 crore for the Delhi government.
• The new rule will come into effect from 2025-26.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has given another big decision of her predecessor Aam Aadmi Party government. This decision is likely to save Rs 700 crore in one go. Actually, the BJP government in Delhi has reduced the Local Area Development (LAD) fund of the MLAs. Earlier this fund was Rs 15 crore every year, but now it has been reduced to Rs 5 crore. This decision was taken by the Delhi government and officials informed about it on Monday. In this way, there will be a saving of Rs 10 crore per MLA. There are 70 MLAs in Delhi. In this way, by cutting the fund, Rs 700 crore will be saved in the government treasury.

In October last year, there was an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi. At that time, AAP had increased the MLA LAD fund from Rs 10 crore to Rs 15 crore. This decision was taken a few months before the assembly elections. But in the elections held in February, AAP lost and the BJP formed the government. Now BJP has decided to reduce this fund again.

The Urban Development Department of the Delhi Government has issued a new order. According to this order, on May 2, the Cabinet decided that this fund for each assembly constituency will now be Rs 5 crore per year. This rule will be applicable from the financial year 2025-26. This decision of the Cabinet is number 3187.

The government has said that MLAs can spend this fund according to their needs. They can use this money for big construction works (like building roads, schools or parks). It can also be used for repairing and maintaining old things. There will be no upper limit on this expenditure.

There are a total of 70 MLAs in Delhi. The government has set aside Rs 350 crore for this fund. It will be divided into 70 parts, meaning every MLA will get Rs 5 crore. A BJP MLA confirmed this.

When AAP was in power, this fund was less. In the year 2021-22 and 2022-23, every MLA used to get Rs 4 crore. Then in 2023-24, it was increased to Rs 7 crore. After this, in 2024, AAP increased it to Rs 15 crore. But now BJP has again brought it down to Rs 5 crore.

BJP says that this decision is in the interest of the people of Delhi. They believe that Rs 5 crore is enough for every MLA so that they can do the necessary work in their area. By reducing this fund, the government can save money for other schemes.