So far, only 25 of Khattar’s 90 MLAs have adopted villages

Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal termed the scheme as a joke. “The government announced the scheme but there is no framework for the same. No one explained the modalities of the scheme to us. I asked an official in my area on what is to be under the scheme and I was told there are no funds available for it. How can I go to a village and explain to the villagers what I am going to do when I have no idea?”

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Zakir Hussain said the Opposition has been kept away from the scheme and there is no intimation from the government about the same.

It is not only the MLAs in the Opposition who have raised questions about the scheme but some legislators of the BJP also hold similar views.

A BJP legislator said there are no funds at the disposal of the MLAs.

“While MPs have funds, the same is not the case with MLAs. There are no funds that we can allocate in our constituencies. How can we adopt a village and ensure its development? If we make proposals for some areas, it takes a long time for the funds to be sanctioned. The issue of having funds at the discretion of MLAs has been raised in the Assembly as well,” he said.

Another MLA contended that in some places like Kerala, the MLAs have Rs 1.5 crore at their disposal. Even councillors of the Municipal Corporation can sanction money for projects from their funds. The same is not the case with MLAs. It is not feasible to adopt a village in such a situation, he said.