In Bihar, MPLADS have paved way for knowledge hubs |
Launched in 1993, the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) allows every MP to recommend works that create durable community assets at local levels. While Lok Sabha MPs are mandated to spend the funds in their constituency, Rajya Sabha MPs can spend them across the state they represent. Some have questioned the scheme, but when used well, MPLADS allows MPs to make unique interventions that nudge the state in the right direction.
Bihar has a long road ahead to catch up economically with the rest of the country. As an MP from Bihar, it was a personal commitment for me to utilise the MPLADS fund to strengthen the state’s knowledge systems and institutions. There were two motivating factors. First was the experience of visiting leading universities in the US as part of a study visit for journalists in the early 1990s. It was a lesson that policy solutions are not to be found overnight, but require quality evidence. Back home, this was also when southern states were gaining momentum with the rise of the IT sector. States’ investments facilitated the development of technical institutes that nurtured homegrown talent. In contrast, Bihar was focused on........