The BJP Legislature Party, led by Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, on Friday submitted a memorandum to the Governor against the state government. They demanded that MLA Local Area Development Funds (LADs) and discretionary funds should be released immediately.
BJP leaders alleged that the state government has not released the MLA LADs since October 2025. Because of this delay, they said MLAs are facing serious difficulties in fulfilling the development commitments made to people in their respective constituencies.
Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh suffered heavy losses in 2025 because of natural calamities caused by intense rainfall. Therefore, he said, LAD funds are crucial for MLAs to carry out restoration and development works. However, despite budget provisions, the government released only half of the funds and withheld the remaining amount.
"MLAs' discretionary funds are also not being released on time, hindering the provision of immediate assistance to the poor and disaster-affected people. This also undermines the credibility of public representatives," he further said.
Targeting the state government, Thakur said it has been a long-standing tradition in Himachal to seek development priorities from MLAs. These are submitted to the Public Works Department (PWD) and Jal Shakti Department. However, over the past three years, DPRs for projects proposed by opposition MLAs have neither been prepared nor sent to NABARD for approval. Even in cases where DPRs were prepared, they were stalled instead of being taken forward. He said this approach goes against democratic principles and the spirit of balanced development.
“Development work in opposition areas is being systematically stalled. Only two instalments of MLA funds, viz., Rs 55 lakh each, have been released, while the remaining amount is withheld. In many cases, payments have been stopped at the treasury level even after approval letters have been issued,” he said.
Thakur added that the BJP Legislature Party has urged Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to direct the government to immediately release the MLA LAD funds and discretionary funds. They have also requested that DPRs for development priorities of opposition MLAs be prepared and sent to NABARD, so that balanced development can be ensured across all regions of the state.
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