MPs feel left out of foundation stone laying, parliamentary panel steps in

A parliamentary panel has called attention to the frequent exclusion of MPs from events related to rural road schemes.

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel in its report among various concerns pertaining to the centrally-sponsored rural road scheme PMGSY has brought into focus that despite advisories from the rural development ministry, MPs are often not invited for foundation laying and inauguration ceremonies.This, the committee observed, “undermines established parliamentary protocol”.To deal with the situation, Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka in its report tabled in Parliament Friday recommended that department of rural development (DoRD) “issue strict mandatory instructions” to state govts and authorities to invite the MP concerned or their representative at least 15 days in advance through multiple modes of communication like email, letter, and SMS.“High-quality photographs of the events, clearly depicting the MP’s participation along with the plaque, must be mandatorily uploaded on the Online Monitoring, Management and Accounting System (OMMAS) within seven days of the ceremony,” the panel has recommended.

It suggested instituting a quarterly monitoring mechanism to track compliance, linking persistent violations to administrative accountability, and conducting regular sensitisation programmes for officials for effective implementation of the 2022 advisory and enforcement of these protocols. These findings are part of the action taken on the recommendations made the panel in its 17th report on “Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)” (2024-25), in which it was highlighted that the committee has been frequently informed about the violation of norms/provisions of PMGSY pertaining to the protocol with regards to MPs.In the action taken reply, the ministry shared its advisory, dated Feb 2, 2022, with regard to invitation to the public representatives for foundation laying and inauguration ceremonies of PMGSY works. The committee has acknowledged the reply but called for measures to ensure compliance.