Once I went to inaugurate a road... Perpsectives on the now-controversial MPLADS, Goa and infrastructure
By Eduardo Faleiro, former member of Parliament The recent controversy regarding the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) has drawn attention to the nature and implementation of this programme. MPLADS was initiated by the Union Government in 1993 so as to enable Members of Parliament to recommend developmental works demanded by locally felt needs. The normal mechanism of Government planning does not always take into account requirements of the people at the local level. The Collector of the District is responsible for the implementation of the Scheme. MPLADS funds are disbursed directly by the Union Government to the concerned District Collector. The role of the M.P. consists in recommending works, which should be within the guidelines, and to broadly oversee their implementation. MPLADS has contributed significantly to meet many genuine demands of our towns and villages. However, its objectives have not been fully achieved. It was expected that it would promote greater administrative efficiency. This has not happened. During my tenure in the Rajya Sabha, I was able to obtain the total sum of Rs. 16 crore (Rs 160 million) for my MPLADS projects. This is the highest amount allocated to any MP, whether from the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, since the inception of the scheme. This was achieved by a detailed scrutiny of the guidelines and a relentless pursuit for disbursement of these funds which were due to Goa, though neither the State Government officials nor those of the Union Government were aware that such a sum was due to our State. More than a hundred of my MPLADS projects have been completed across the State and some are in the process of completion. Most of them relate to Human Resource Development particularly education, health and sports. These sectors need priority attention so that our people become strong in body and mind and are able to meet successfully the challenges of today's highly competitive environment. Implementation of MPLADS has been better in South Goa than in the North Goa district. In North Goa there have been problems of accountability and monitoring and this has caused delays in several projects. The State Government has "expressed concern over long delay in execution of some projects wherein the work was taken up as long as in the year 2000 in North Goa". The usual time frame for completion of such projects is six months. Great strides have been made in the field of education since Independence. This was mainly due to private institutions. Government schools themselves are in an appalling condition. A dismal school environment ensures that 40% of the children in India drop out before they reach class IV and further 15% drop out by the time they reach class VII. Yet, the children themselves are keen to learn. Attendance at several Government schools in Goa which I visited over the last few years was almost 100% but in the circumstances in which these schools function, there is not much learning to be done. In some of our Government primary schools, four classes are taught simultaneously in the same classroom and often eight classes, four in Konkani and four in Marathi. At some of these schools, I asked the children in which language they were studying, Konkani or Marathi. Whilst many could not reply some ended up by saying that they were studying in Hindi! Very few schools have toilet facilities and wherever they exist, they are unusable and remain clogged for months together. There are no blackboards or they are not repaired. Benches are broken and in many schools there are no benches and children sit on the floor. Rice bags (for the mid day meal), discarded furniture, school records etc. are all bundled together in a single classroom along with the teacher and the children. The teachers in Government schools are as hardworking and capable and the students as bright and diligent as their counterparts in private schools. What is lacking in Government schools is the minimum infrastructure. As a result, only those who cannot afford to enroll their children in private schools send them to the Government primary school. In the Government primary school of my village in Raia (where I studied more than 50 years ago), the total number of students for all eight standards (fourin Konkani and four in Marathi) is presently 60. Four classes are taught together in the same classroom by a single teacher and sometimes all the eight classes are taken together. In the non-Government school, hardly 100 metres away, the number of students in each class is almost equal to the total in the Government school. Furthermore, in the Non-Government school each class has its own teacher and a separate classroom. Government primary education across the country has suffered from what might be called a "social attention deficit", a sheer lack of attention and concern by the community at large including policy makers at all levels. Inequalities in education in India are among the highest in the world comparable only to some African countries. The disparity will now be accentuated in the Computer Age. The dangerous "digital divide" can only be prevented if necessary steps are taken right now. MPLADS has benefitted many private schools. This benefit should be transferred to the students. The 165th Report of the Law Commission of India on "Free and Compulsory Education" recommended that all private schools affiliated to any Government Board should be made to provide free education to 20-50% of their students. "When schools receive various benefits from the Government such as grants and other facilities, it is only fair to ask them to accept a share of the social responsibility", the Law Commission said. The ideal is the Common School System with Government schools known as "neighbourhood schools" in every locality to which all children irrespective of social class or religious affiliation will go. This is the system prevailing in Scandinavia and other educationally advanced countries. The health sector was another priority in my choice of MPLADS projects. Regrettably healthcare is not a priority for Government in many States. Allocation for the health sector is being reduced steadily without much public opposition either. Healthcare facilities in Goa are far from adequate and much below those obtaining in any metropolitan city of India not to mention the more advanced countries of the world. My projects included a Respirator and Blood Gas Analyzer for the Hospicio Hospital at Margao. I am appalled at the pathetic conditions at this premier hospital of South Goa. It lacks basic amenities and a minimum level of sanitation and hygiene. I had spoken to my Lok Sabha counterpart from South Goa and to the then acting Director of the Hospicio Hospital and suggested to them that we, the two MPs residing in South Goa, should contribute a substanttial share of our MPLADS fund towards improving facilities at this Hospital. However, this could not materialize. I also sanctioned MPLADS funds for setting up a Trauma Unit at the Goa Medical College Hospital. The hospital had requested this facility from me but apparently the then State Government decided to fund it from its own resources. What is required is greater coordination among the different authorities. Regular meetings of the Chief Minister and other Ministers with the MPs from the State will contribute to monitor MPLADS in a more efficient manner. Indeed, monitoring arrangements provided in the guidelines of MPLADS are not being complied with as they should. Once I went to inaugurate a road and on arrival I found that the workmanship was so shoddy that it was not worth even half of the amount paid to the contractor. In another case, the foundation stone was laid though the concerned officials were aware that the project was in contravention of the building bye-laws and that it could never come into existence. Whilst MPLADS has benefited people at the grassroots, and some excellent work has been done, there is substance in some of the objections to the scheme. It would be more appropriate and more in comformity with the constitutional mandate of separation of powers if the traditional role of MPs which is to supervise executive action is strengthened rather than involve them in the executive action itself. The objective of the scheme was to reduce maladministration in Government activities, yet direct participation of MPs in implementation may distort the entire system of legislative action and administrative responsibility. MPLADS was expected to promote greater administrative efficiency. This has not happened. Government procedures and practices that lead to delays and poor quality of work are also evident in MPLADS. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India which was tabled in Parliament three years ago called for a thorough review of the present arrangements for implementation of the scheme. Such a review, it says "should look at the technical and administrative arrangements of the scheme so as to fully achieve its stated objectives." More than a decade since MPLADS came into existence the time has certainly arrived for a comprehensive review. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Eduardo Faleiro is a lawyer, and politician. He has served for many terms in the national parliament (at New Delhi), representing both the South Goa constitutency, and Goa in the upper house (the Rajya Sabha). His role in highlighting issues related to communalism in the past decade is particularly noteworthy. He has been educated both in Portugal and India. Contact: loksevagoa at rediffmail.com GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the 7000-strong readership of the Goanet/Goanet-news network of mailing lists. If you appreciated the thoughts expressed above, please send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate their work. GoanetReader welcomes your feedback at goanet@goanet.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Goanet, founded 1994. Building community, creating social capital -----------------------------------------------------------------