Public Funds for Public Good

Through Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme 1. Community Centre in Tola, Koraput district, Odisha

2. Vocational Training Laboratory at Thirunal Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Monkombu, Alappuzha 1 2 3 district, Kerala.

3. MCA Block, Government Arts College, Thanjavur, Front Cover Public Funds for Public Good Introduction

The Government of instituted in 1993 the policy of providing funds to Members of Parliament for attending to important location-specific needs. The fund, known as the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), is utilised by Members of Parliament for fulfilling the essential requirements of the local population through the State Government and its officers. No money goes directly through the Member of Parliament; Members can only identify and suggest projects to be supported by MPLADS.

I was a nominated Member of the Rajya Sabha from 2007 to 2013. During that period, I was allotted a total of Rs. 8 crore during the first four years (Rs.2 crore per year) and Rs.10 crore during the last two years when the allocation was enhanced to Rs. 5 crore per year. Thus Rs.18 crore became available during the period of 6 years. This publication indicates how these funds were used and emphasises the significance of this source of support to local communities. Essential gaps in local needs can be met without waiting for assistance from Plan funds.

Broadly, the areas supported have been education, community centres, village development, libraries and hospitals. MPLADS outlay

70

60

50

40 No.of Projects

Spread 30 Outlay in millions

20 No. of states 10

0 Educa/on Community Village Libraries Hospitals Centres Development Themes

As can be seen from the figure, the most outlay has been on community centres which continue to be used very effectively for multiple purposes such as reading rooms, village knowledge centres,, venues for SHG meetings and, occasionally, even weddings.

I am grateful to my colleague Dr. S. Rajalakshmi for assisting me in administering MPLADS in a purposeful manner through the selection of projects which were of help to improve functional literacy, digital capability, health, nutrition and community development. I am grateful to the authorities of the Government of India as well as the concerned State Governments for assistance in the utilisation of the funds in a meaningful, timely and effective manner.

M S Swaminathan

Education Education The development of facilities in the education sector, particularly in rural India, should be of topmost priority. A total of Rs. 5.76 crore was spent in this sector across six states in India — Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan. Around 31 projects were undertaken spread across various districts in these states, largely serving the minority communities as well as the economically weak and marginalised sections of society. The projects ranged from building science blocks, laboratories, classrooms, toilets for girl students, library facilities, teachers’ training centres, among others. A very unique intervention has been the building of a vocational training laboratory for plus two students to opt for a course in agriculture. This is aimed at empowering farmer children to use scientific methods in farming, particularly in the Kuttanad area, which is the rice bowl of Kerala. One of the main reasons for school drop-outs, particularly girls, is the lack of toilet facilities in rural schools; a conscious attempt has therefore been made at supporting construction of toilet complexes. Another important project has been to set up a centre in Jharkand to train and upgrade teachers from the local tribal community.

01 02 Classrooms, Additional library, water tank, school building and a toilet block for toilet block for girls and girls in the Adi Dravidar boys and a playground in Welfare Government the Government Secondary Cost Higher Secondary School, Cost School, Jaisalmer, of work of work (Rs lakh) Kalangani, (Rs lakh) Rajasthan 40.00 district, Tamil Nadu 35.00 03 04 05 A Four Eight separate classrooms classrooms block for MCA in George Higher in Muslim Primary students in the Secondary School School, Surandai, Government Arts at Vishnupuram, Cost Cost Tirunelveli, Tamil Cost College, Thanjavur, of work Kumbakonam, of work of work (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) Nadu (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu 25.00 13.50 20.00

06 07 08 Six Ten Teachers’ classrooms classrooms in Training at Sri Ramakrishna the Native Higher Centre in Laldih, Home, Keelakattur, Secondary School, Ghatsila, East Singhbhum district, Thanjavur, Tamil Cost Kumbakonam, Tamil Cost Cost of work of work Jharkhand of work Nadu (Rs lakh) Nadu (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) 14.80 21.35 24.15

09 10 11 Nine Compound Compound classrooms wall and a wall for the in Bharatha pathway inside the school campus in Matha High School, Government High Senthamangalam block Narippaiyur village, School in Thumbivadi in , Cost Cost Cost of work Ramanathapuram of work village, Karur district, of work Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) district, Tamil (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) 09.81 Nadu 15.00 11.00

12 13 14 Compound Five wall and a toilet classrooms Classrooms complex for the in Devangar in Rajaji primary school in Higher Secondary Middle School, Makkiri Palayam, School, Neeravi, Meenambalpuram, Southapuram, Cost Ramanathapuram Cost Madurai district, Cost of work of work of work Namakkal district, (Rs lakh) district, (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu 04.75 Tamil Nadu 25.00 15.00 Education

15 16 17 Five classrooms Science and four toilets Toilet block laboratory at in Devangar Higher in Sourashtra Saharda Kalipada Secondary School, Higher Secondary Higher Secondary Aruppukottai, School, West Midnapur Cost School, Madurai, Cost Cost Virudhunagar district, of work of work district, West Bengal of work (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu 25.00 18.00 12.42

18 19 Bitumen 20 Library, Permanent road connecting art room the Government RCC roofing and computer for the Panchayat Agricultural College laboratory in the and Research Institute Union Middle School, Government High M.G.R.Nagar, Killai to Meteorology School, Siruthalaikaadu, Cost Cost village, Parangipettai, Cost Observatory junction,of work Nagapattinam district,of work of work (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Cuddalore district, (Rs lakh) Madurai, Tamil Tamil Nadu Nadu 10.00 30.00 Tamil Nadu 15.75

21 22 23 A Five Classrooms Vocational classrooms at Nakeeranar Training Laboratory in the Government Aided Middle School, in the Thirunal Panchanathikulam School, Perumbakkam, Government Vocational Vedaranyam taluk, Thiruvallur district, Higher Secondary School, Cost Nagapattinam district, Cost Cost Tamil Nadu of work of work Monkombu, Alappuzha of work (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) district, Kerala. (Rs lakh) 25.00 25.00 57.00

24 25 26 Science Classrooms Computer laboratory in the Education Centre and classrooms in Government High in the Government the Government Upper School, S. Tharaikudi Higher Primary School, Primary School, Malion village, Kadaladi, Karki, Honnavar taluka, Dhani Birai P.S., Bawri Ramanathapuram Cost Cost Cost of work Uttara Kannada District, of work district, Jodhpur, of work district, Tamil Nadu. (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) 25.00 Karnataka 25.00 Rajasthan 25.00

Community Centres/ Multipurpose Community Halls C omm c e nt rs

The need for a community hall in every village cannot be overemphasised. These halls serve as important meeting places for diverse activities undertaken by the local community, from micro enterprise training, SHG meetings, awareness programmes in health, entitlement cards, etc., to cultural and social functions and children’s after-school activities and group learning. A total of Rs.6.70 crore has been spent to build low cost community centres in rural areas in six states, namely, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thirty-nine such multipurpose halls have been constructed in various districts, mainly in tribal and economically weaker pockets of the States. 01 02 03 A Panchayat Community Information Centre each in the and Resource Community villages of Mohuli Centre in Gandhigram and Asna, Koraput Centre in Jajpur Cost Cost Rural University, Cost of work district, Odisha of work of work district, (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Dindigul district, (Rs lakh) Rajasthan 08.00 16.00 Tamil Nadu 10.00

04 05 06 A Community Community Community Training Hall in Centre in Varora, Narippaiyur, Training Centre Chandrapur district, Ramanathapuram in Bartua, Ranchi Cost district, Tamil Cost Cost Maharashtra of work of work district, Jharkhand of work (Rs lakh) Nadu (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) 10.00 10.00 25.00

07 08 09 Two A Community A Community Halls at Panchayat Community Hall at Illuppur Hall at Union Office, taluk, Annavasal Narayanapuram, Naguluppalapadu, region, Pudukkottai Sankarankovil taluk, Cost Prakasam district, Cost Cost of work of work district, Tamil of work Tirunelveli district, (Rs lakh) Andhra Pradesh (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu 22.00 10.00 Nadu 20.00

10 11 12 Two One Multipurpose Community Community Community Centres at Hall each at Centre at Meenavar Marukkalampatti Meenangadi Grama Grama Panchayat, and Manathi villages, Panchayat, Wayanad Poompuhar, Elachipalayam Cost Cost Cost district, Kerala (work of work Nagapattinam district, of work Panchayat Union, of work (Rs lakh) in progress) (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) Namakkal district, 22.00 25.00 Tamil Nadu 50.00 13 14 15 One A One

Tribal Multipurpose Tribal C omm c e nt rs Community Hall Community Hall at Community Hall each at Japapatraput Kodiyakkadu village, each at Phulbad and and Pujariguda Kundura villages, villages, Koraput Cost Vedaranyam taluk, Cost Cost of work of work Koraput district, of work district, Odisha (Rs lakh) Nagapattinam district,(Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) 24.00 Tamil Nadu 30.00 Odisha 16.00

16 17 18 A A Multipurpose A Community Hall at Community Hall in fishing village, Melseshamangalam Hall in Nerao, Raigad Minjur panchayat, district, Maharashtra Lighthouse Nadukuppam, village, Cheyyar taluk, Cost Cost Cost of work of work Pazhaverkadu, Thiruvallur of work Tiruvannamalai district,(Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu 25.00 08.00 district, Tamil Nadu 25.00

19 20 One 21 A A Community Community Multipurpose Hall each Community Facility Centre at in the five panchayats of Bodad village panchayat, Hall in Cheyyur Ariyur Nadu, Valavanthi Nadu, Nagpur-Amaravathi taluk , Kanchipuram Valappur Nadu, Gundur Nadu highway, Wardha district, Cost Cost Cost district, Tamil Nadu of work and Bail Nadu in Kolli Hills, of work Maharashtra (work in of work (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Namakkal district, Tamil progress) 25.00 Nadu 88.00 15.00

22 One additional Community Multipurpose Hall each in the ten remote and backward villages of Oorakaligampatti, Sulavanthipatti, Navakadu, Velikadu, Tholikunnu, Vadugapatti, Ambedkar Nagar, Akkiampatti, Thuthikulam Adi Dravidar Cost of Colony and N. Pudhupatti Adi work Dravidar Colony in Kolli Hills, (Rs lakh) Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu. 185.00

Village Development

The MPLAD scheme is an excellent way to develop and strengthen infrastructure, like drinking water facilities, borewells, roads, bus shelters, check dams, etc., particularly in rural and remote areas. Roads near

agricultural lands that strengthen vill De v e lpt connectivity in backward and remote villages are very critical for farmers to reach their produce to the markets in time. Across six states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Odisha — 41 projects were carried out with an outlay of Rs. 3.02 crore. One of the significant contributions in this sector has been towards street electrification as part of the solar electrification convergence project in Gumla district, Jharkhand. 01 02 03 An Three Drinking internal road water facility check from Dhontiphaha on and classrooms in T. dams at N. Kammapalli village, and the Wardha-Rasulabad Kumarapuram, a road through agricultural Road to village Pipri in Sathur post, lands to transport Wardha Zilla Parishad, agricultural produce to Cost Virudhunagar, Cost Cost Wardha district, of work of work markets in Pullampet, of work (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu (Rs lakh) Kadappa district, (Rs lakh) Maharashtra 16.36 11.00 Andhra Pradesh 06.00

04 05 06 An A overhead tar road An water tank at the connecting overhead Higher Secondary Puthoorvayal-Cherai water tank in Road, School, Pallipalayam, Palani, Dindigul Puthoorvayal, Meppadi Southapuram, Cost Cost Cost of work Grama panchayat, of work district, Tamil of work Namakkal district, (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu Wayanad district, Nadu 03.75 Kerala 09.00 17.00

07 08 09 A A Solar Bal Bhavan bus shelter electrification at Sankarankoil and sports and streetlights as and a road leading stadium in the model to the ladies hostel village Hivrebazaar, part of the convergence on the Sankarankoil- Cost project in Gumla district, Cost Kazhugumalai road, Cost Ahmednagar district, of work of work of work Maharashtra. (Rs lakh) Jharkhand (Rs lakh) Tirunelveli district, (Rs lakh) 19.86 25.00 Tamil Nadu 03.00

10 A 11 A road 12 A mineral water from Vikasmarg community plant and a road junction (Moncombu bath complex, from the overhead water Devi temple - Avittom Thirunal tubewell, and a tank to Gullakamma road Government Higher Secondary community pond at School and Kochaumoodu) to at Surpanch, Chekurapadu Cherkaput village, Ghumara Arattuvazhy Road, Vettikad, post, Naguluppalapadu, Cost Cost Digapur G.P, Kundura, Cost of work Kalathiparambil Chennamkaryof work of work Prakasam district, (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) P.O., Alappuzha district, Koraput district, Andhra Pradesh 15.00 Kerala 25.00 Odisha 03.50 13 A 14 An 15 Two community ice plant internal tar at Vanagiri, tubewell each roads in the 15th near Poompuhar, in Phukiaguda and ward, Thiruvalangadu, Khutguda villages, Lima, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Chinnamapet village, Nadu to enable fishermen to Kundra, Koraput Cost Cost Thiruthani, Thiruvallur Cost of work of work of work district, Odisha (Rs lakh) store and value (Rs lakh) district, (Rs lakh) 06.50 add their products 15.00 Tamil Nadu 25.00

16 17 Roads 18 An vill De v e lpt An toto strengthen internal road the connectivity at internal road the connectivity at Solar nine different locations in Khardi and nine different locations street lights in Khardi and near agricultural lands in Varandoli villages, villages, nearthe backward agricultural and lands remote in the also installed at MahadMahad taluk, taluk, Raigad backwardvillage andT. Kammapalli, remote village T. Kammapalli Cost T. Kammapalli,Pullampet mandal,Pullampet Cost Cost Raigaddistrict, district, of work of work village. of work (Rs lakh) mandal,Kadapa Kadapa district, district, (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) MaharashtraMaharashtra 10.00 AndhraAndhra PradeshPradesh 39.00 05.00

19 20 Four Borewells cement in 3 locations roads in the 15th in the 10th ward, ward, Thiruvalangadu, Thiruthani Chinnamapet, municipality, Cost Thiruthani, Thiruvallur Cost of of work work Thiruvallur district, (Rs lakh) district, (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu 25.00 15.00

Libraries

Modernisation and digitisation of libraries are very important and, today, we have technologies to upgrade our libraries to make them of contemporary use. Towards this, a few important libraries that have a strong focus on conservation, documentation and digitisation have been supported with a total outlay of Rs.108.5 lakh, in three different states — Tamil Nadu, the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The work is ongoing. L ibrari e s

01 Upgradation 02 and modernisation Library of the Museum at in the the Birbal Sahni Institute Government of Palaeobotany (under the Girls’ Higher Department of Science and Secondary School, Technology, Government of Cost Cost of work Kumbakonam, of work India), Lucknow, (Rs lakh) (Rs lakh) Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh (work in 50.00 08.50 progress)

03 04 Renovation Library of the Museum of Social History extension and Rural Life, Centre for Roja Muthiah for Communication & Research Library, International Linkages, the Taramani, Chennai, Punjab Agricultural University, Cost Tamil Nadu (work in Cost Ludhiana, the Punjab of work of work (work in progress) (Rs lakh) progress) (Rs lakh) 25.00 25.00

Hospitals

Medical facilities need to be supported for upgrades and more so in government- run institutions. A total of Rs. 139 lakh was the expenditure outlay in this sector.

01

Purchase of Digital Subtraction Angiography Equipment for the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research Cost of work (S.S.K.M. Hospital), (Rs lakh) Kolkata, West Bengal 95.00

02 Hospitals A dormitory for aged leprosy patients and handicapped persons at Maharogi Sewa Samiti, Warora, Anandwan, Cost of Chandrapur district, work Maharashtra (Rs lakh) (work is in progress) 44.00 Snapshots of some of the projects Snapshots of some of the projects S naps h ots Snapshots of some of the projects Snapshots of some of the projects S naps h ots

PROF M S SWAMINATHAN

Founder Chairman, M S Swaminathan ResearchM S Swaminathan Foundation Research Foundation Third Cross Street, Taramani Institutional AreaThird Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area Chennai - 600- 600 113 113 (India) (India) Tel: +91 +91 44 44 2254 2254 2790 2790 / 2254 / 2254 1229; 1229; Fax: +91 +91 44 44 2254 2254 1319 1319 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Twitter: @msswaminathan @msswaminathan