New Delhi, Aug 25 (HS): Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday chaired a review meeting at the Delhi Secretariat with senior officials regarding the Chief Minister’s Development Fund (CMDF) and the MLA Local Area Development (MLA-LAD) schemes, according to an official statement shared on the Delhi CMO’s X handle.

As per the discussions, MLAs seeking funds for local infrastructure and development works can now access finances through this fund, with the maximum cost of a project capped at ₹10 crore. Designed as a flexible and dynamic framework, the scheme assigns responsibility for preparing project proposals to administrative departments, local bodies, and autonomous institutions—acting through their respective administrative secretaries—based on the Chief Minister’s directives.

Under the scheme, the Planning Department will release 50% of the sanctioned project amount in advance, with the remaining 50% disbursed upon completion, subject to progress reports, utilization certificates, and completion certificates.

Significantly, MLAs will now also be able to route funds through the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for local development works. Earlier, such works were largely handled only by the Irrigation & Flood Control Department or the Delhi State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) — often causing delays, as these departments prioritized larger projects. With the new arrangement, smaller works are expected to be expedited by the MCD.

The Chief Minister’s Development Fund aims to address Delhi’s growing infrastructure needs. For the financial year 2025–26, the Planning Department has earmarked a budgetary allocation of ₹1,400 crore for its implementation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar