Constituency overview Ahmedabad East came into existence after the 2008 delimitation of seven Assembly seats. Harin Pathak, who was elected as the first Lok Sabha member from the constituency in 2009, is among the few politicians to be directly elected as an MP after having worked in a municipal corporation. In 2014, Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal represented the seat. Profile overview Hasmukhbhai Somabhai Patel, 63, is among a few MPs who rose from a municipal corporator to MLA and MP. For two consecutive terms he was a corporator from Indrapuri (2005-10) and Vatva (2010-2015) when he had held positions as chairman of various AMC committees, including the Estate Management Committee and Water Supply and Sewerage Committee, and the Housing Improvement and EWS Awas Yojana Committee. Following this, he was elected to the Assembly from Amraiwadi for two consecutive terms. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Water resources from 2019 till date; member of the consultative committee in the Ministry of Textiles; chairman of the Ahmedabad unit of Textile Association (India); and a Trustee Bharat Vikas Parishad, Vatva Branch. MPLAD funds lowdown Patel says a majority of his funds have been spent on the two social sectors of education and health. "I have an inclination towards these two sectors that are close to my heart," he told The Indian Express. A closer look at the projects he spent on include an ambulance for the Ahmedabad Diamond Association Medical Trust-run Kakadiya Hospital in Bapunagar and an ambulance with medical equipment each to U. N. Mehta, Institute of Kidney Disease and Research Centre in Ahmedabad, AMC-run Shardaben Chimanlal Lalbhai Municipal General Hospital, and Kothia Hospital in Nikol. The fund was also directed towards buying essential medical equipment for hospitals in Ahmedabad city and Gandhinagar district during the Covid pandemic, and hearing aids, tricycles and wheel-chairs, and blind canes to Civil Hospital Asarwa. For education, he has spent majorly on upgradation of existing government schools. These include Maths and Science-based activity rooms, smart school, STEM and robotics labs in areas like Bapunagar, Ramol, Ambikanagar, Naroda and Thakkarbapanagar. Other projects undertaken include grant for 30 AMTS buses, CC Road from Gandhinagar to Dabhoda Hanuman Temple, fogging machines in Dehgam nagarpalika, and a road from Bakrol to Bujran Swaminarayan Temple till village. 110 questions asked From foreign affairs to textiles, Patel's questions span across the spectrum. Once, he posed a question to the External Affairs Minister on steps taken by India to champion the cause of the Global South. With his qualification in diploma in textile manufacturing, he quizzed the government on the steps taken for development of cotton sector, promotion of handlooms, and FDI in the sector, among others. He has also asked starred and unstarred questions on Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), fertilizer subsidy policy and pricing matters, including the need to continue Urea Subsidy Scheme; whether any effort is being made by the government to promote organic farming in the country; details of Nirbhaya Fund; steps taken to educate street children and migrant labourers; funds allocated to promotion of heritage sites in Gujarat; cattle subsidy to Gujarat; allocation of funds under MGNREGS; interlinking of rivers; courses for the next generation; dam and water projects; new cargo ports; Make in India body armour for forces; uranium production; research work in cancer; new trains for Gujarat, implementation of Ayushman Bharat in Ahmedabad; and whether the government proposes to implement any project to decongest the traffic of major cities along river Ganga through introduction of ferry service. Patel introduced a private bill — Introduction of Higher and Technical Education (Exemption from Payment of Outstanding Fees and Education Loan) Bill, 2021 in August 2022. The bill pertains to exemption or refund of fee and other charges in case a student dies or becomes physically challenged in the aftermath of an accident. No. of debates that saw participation: 19 Other than general discussions on the budget, Patel’s participation during debates have revolved around roads, bridges and railways. The debates include the need to shift the food stalls located near the foot overbridge on the Ahmedabad Railway Station platform, to build a service road near Limbiya village where construction work of six-lane NH 45 was undergoing, to construct a bridge or underbridge on Mahatma Gandhi Expressway No 1 in his Parliamentary constituency, for an overbridge/underbridge on Ahmedabad-Vadodara Express Highway No 1, and to reconstruct the road near railway line passing through Rakhiyal village in his constituency.
