COVER PAGE

The Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha seem to be first rate laggards. Not only that they shirk their duty of raising questions in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament, they even lag behind when it comes to spending the money available to them under Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund (MPLADS).

Statistics obtained by the feature agency TwoCircles.net reveal that most of the 30 Lok Sabha MPs failed to avail of these funds for development work in their constituencies.

The current Lok Sabha has 30 Muslims MPs. But they spent only 16.86 per cent of the annual central government fund for their constituencies in the year 2009-2010.

For the year 2009-10, a sum of Rs. 67 crore was released for 30 Lok Sabha constituencies represented by Muslim MPs in the country. But they spent only Rs 11.3 crore that is 16.86 per cent of the total fund released.

The data has been provided by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the nodal Ministry responsible for policy formulation, release of funds and monitoring the implementation of the MPLADS.

Under the MPLADS scheme, each MP (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) has power to suggest to the District Collector for works to the tune of Rs. 2 crore every year to be taken up in his/her constituency. The scheme was started in 1993 with Rs. 5 lakh for each MP, later it was increased to Rs.1 crore (1994-95 till 1997-98). From 1998-99 onwards the amount has been fixed at Rs 2 crore.
The MPLADS scheme empowers MPs to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs. These could be utilized for any common facilities such as construction of school buildings, hostels, hospitals, parks, libraries, etc. Funds for MPLADS, a centrally sponsored scheme fully funded by the Central Government, are released in the form of Grants-in-aid directly to the District Authorities.

According to the rules, works, developmental in nature, based on locally felt needs and always available for the use of the public at large, are eligible under the scheme. Preference under the scheme is given to works relating to national priorities, such as provision of drinking water, public health, education, sanitation, roads, etc. moreover, MPLADS works can be implemented in areas affected by natural calamities like, floods, cyclone, earthquake, drought, Tsunami, etc.
Here arises the million-dollar question: Don't the Lok Sabha constituencies of Muslim MPs need any of the above-mentioned eligible works? Indeed, they do, because most of the Muslim MPs represent areas which lack basic civic amenities and additionally suffer from apathy of the administration.
Now have a look at the individual performance of these Muslim Lok Sabha MPs under MPLAD scheme.

There are presently 30 Muslim Lok Sabha MPs. Nine out of these 30 MPs have performed zero as they did not spend even a penny under MPLAD scheme in 2009-2010. These hon'ble MPs are: Shahnawaz Hussain (BJP), Bhagalpur; Smail Hussain Khan (Cong), Barpeta (Assam); Sharifuddin Sharriq (National Conference), Baramullah (J&K); Farooq Abdullah (National Conference), Srinagar; Shafiqur Rahman Barq (BSP), Sambhal (UP); Mohd Azharuddin (Cong), Moradabad (UP); Asaduddin Owaisi (Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen), Hyderabad; M.I. Shanavas (Cong), Wayanad (Kerala); E.T. Mohammed Basheer (Muslim League), Ponnani (Kerala).

One among the zero performers may surprise several of our readers. He is Asaduddin Owaisi from Hyderabad. The best performer among Muslim Lok Sabha MPs on the floor of the House in last three sessions, Owaisi has not spent a rupee from the fund in 2009-10. One wonders if his constituency so shorn on wants on the civic front!

The best performer of all 30 MPs is Abdul Rahman (DMK) from Vellore Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. A sum of Rs. 3 crore was released by the government for his constituency. He recommended works worth Rs. 2.40 crore, of which Rs. 2.21 crore was sanctioned and actually Rs 1.75 crore was spent (58.33% of the released amount). The sum of Rs. 1.25 crore is lying with the district administration as unspent balance. He is followed by Monazir Hassan (JD-U) from Begusarai constituency in Bihar. The percentage of his performance is 45.33%. Out of Rs. 3 crore released to his constituency he could spend only Rs. 1.36 crore. At No. 3 is J.M. Aron Rasheed (41.50%) of Congress from Theni Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. Out of Rs. 2 crore he spent Rs 0.83 crore.

While most states in India have built their Haj Houses, Karnataka is yet to have one. The BJP Government in the State has now promised that a Haj House would soon be built on a four acre plot at Belahalli, located on the route to Bangalore International Airport. Every successive government promised one of its own, on a different locale. But no one knows what happened to the umpteen promises and the plots of land the local Urdu press untiringly identified as the proposed sites.

Latest plan has been unfolded by Prof. Mumtaz Ali Khan, the Minister for Minority Affairs who said a Haj House would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 20 crore. Noted construction company Prestige Group would construct a mosque within the complex at its own cost. Prof. Khan told Islamic Voice in a chat that the wakf land for the purpose of Haj House is being purchased from Yaqeen Shah Wali Dargah at a cost of Rs. 4 crore. The Minister said he would himself contribute Rs. 50 lakh from his personal funds which he received by selling a personally owned farm located on the route to the new Airport.

The Minister informed that he would soon visit Lucknow and Chennai where ideal Haj Houses have come up during the last decade. He said he would consider setting up a Haj Service Society to finance and service the new facility. He said the plan envisages a five-storey Haj House which will be used even for purposes of marriages and other conventions and conferences. It is mooted that philanthropists would be invited to donate money to construct rooms that would be dedicated to the memory of persons designated by them.