S.S. NEGI
NEW DELH
The Supreme Court on Thursday put its seal on the legality of the MPs local area development scheme under which they get Rs 2 crores for development project of their choice in their constituencies even though no provision for the money is made in the appropriation bill.

J. Venkatesan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday held that the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Scheme, under which every MP is allotted Rs. 2 crore a year for constituency development, was intra vires the Constitution.

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court today unanimously upheld the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme, stating that Parliament had the power to disburse funds under it.

Under the scheme, each member of Parliament is provided Rs 2 crore annually for development of his constituency. This was challenged in several public interest petitions.

AMIT AGNIHOTRI
NEW DELHI

Now the Samajwa di Party has joined the race to show concern for the backward Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.

Sources said this was an attempt by the SP to pick up an issue with both the Congress and the BSP, who are already locked in a tussle over the development of Bundelkhand areas falling under UP.

Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), which is planning to set up a 2,640MW power plant in Sikaripara and Raneshwar blocks of Dumka district, has expedited its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to win over villagers.

A slew of welfare programmes have been started by the JSPL authorities to woo disgruntled and anxious residents of the two blocks.

BHUBANESWAR: As traditional water sources are drying up and groundwater table is shrinking due to excessive exploitation, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has requested all the states to prepare village water security plan.

KOLKATA, 5 May: The Union ministry of rural development will launch a scheme where basic urban amenities will be provided in rural areas through the public private partnership model. The scheme will be called Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA).

With more than 1.51 lakh habitations being affected by contaminated water and over 38 per cent of the rural population defecating in the open, the Centre will review the implementation of related development schemes with Rural Development Secretaries of the States and Union Territories during a two-day conference beginning in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Bhopal: A Walkthrough Survey will be conducted for connecting all the villages with all-weather roads by the year 2013 under Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Giving this information, Minister of Panchayats & Rural Development and Social Justice Gopal Bhargava said that orders to this effect have been given to all the collectors and concerning officers.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced that all villages of the State would be made accessible with all season roads by 2013, and those villages, which would not benefit from the Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana, would be connected with the all season accessible roads from the Mukhyamantri Sadak Yojana, started by the State Government.