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New Delhi Feb. 5 (PTI): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called upon people's representatives and the government to ensure that development reaches citizens without delay, dilution or diversion.
He also wanted members of Parliament to shun populism and guide the people on their developmental needs.
Speaking at a virtual event after releasing a book "Parliamentary Messenger in Rajasthan", the vice president also urged parliamentarians to use the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for the 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojna' to develop model villages, an official statement said.
The book, authored by K N Bhandari, focuses on the health and education initiatives undertaken through the MPLADS in Rajasthan from 2006 to 2018 on the recommendations of Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi as Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.
Noting that MPLADS aims at empowering people's representatives by enabling them to serve their constituents, Naidu said since its inception in 1993, over 19.47 crore works have been completed and the scheme has helped in creating assets across the country.
Referring to some shortcomings mentioned in monitoring reports on the implementation of the scheme, the vice president also drew attention to several positives of the scheme such as the high degree of involvement of local communities in the identification of works.
He expressed happiness over the government's decision to put in place third-party monitoring of MPLADS works for their execution in a transparent manner.
The vice president mentioned several suggestions made by parliamentary committees to further improve the scheme including timely release and proper utilisation of funds, a mechanism to monitor the quality of projects and their timely completion and the need for effective coordination between MPs and administrative authorities.
Naidu also called upon state governments and local administrations to ensure timely execution of MPLADS projects by following the recommendations of the MPs in letter and spirit.
Observing that the level of debates in the House and the image of the politicians in people's eyes are going down, the vice president, who is also Rajya Sabha Chairman, wanted the MPs to uphold dignity and decency and do their duty sincerely.
"Members of Parliament must be role models for other public representatives," he said.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Union minister and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Thawarchand Gehlot, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Abhishek Singhvi and other MPs participated in the virtual event.