Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday announced simplified guidelines for the MLA Local Area Development (MLA-LAD) fund and Chief Minister’s Special Assistance (CM-SAA) schemes, alongside the launch of a dedicated MLA-LAD web portal — https://mlalads.odisha.gov.in.
The launch ceremony at Lok Seva Bhawan, attended by ministers and senior officials, marked a push to speed up project approvals and improve transparency. Under the revised rules, the gap between a project’s recommendation and the issuance of its work order has been capped at 30 days.
Through the new portal, legislators can recommend projects, track their approvals, monitor execution, and review expenditure in real time. Citizens will also have access to project status and related data, ensuring greater public accountability.
Officials said the reforms were drafted under the supervision of the Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, with inputs from legislators and best practices from neighbouring states. The Chief Minister thanked all ministers, MLAs, and officials who contributed to the process.
Introduced in 1997–98, the MLA-LAD Scheme has been a key instrument for delivering small but vital public infrastructure. The allocation per constituency has risen from ₹5 lakh in its early years to ₹3 crore, and for 2025–26, each Assembly constituency will receive ₹5 crore.
