This is not to suggest that the MP is not responsible or accountable for the development of his or her constituency. Rather, it suggests that the MP should do what he or she is best equipped to do. Instead of directly spending money on civic services, an MP ought to be arguing for funds from the Central government to reach local bodies and pushing for appropriate policy decisions. To ensure that services reach their constituents, the MP should monitor the functioning of the local bodies and leave them to do what they are best equipped to do: provide the civic services demanded by their constituents.

Since its return to power, UPA 2 has pledged itself to introducing a new era of accountable government. The first principles of accountability require that rules and responsibilities across all levels of government be clearly defined and that there be no overlap. The MPLAD scheme flaunts this, and thus the government should not increase its scope. Instead, it should empower local bodies with resources and capacities to provide basic civic services to citizens and

encourage MPs to focus on making policy and monitoring the delivery of these services.

The writer is a senior research fellow at the Centre for Policy Research and a member of the Right to Information Assessment and Analysis Group express@expressindia.com