Going a step ahead of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has urged all MPs to devote a higher share of their MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds for irrigation and drought-proofing works in their respective constituencies.

Pawar has sent a letter to all MPs requesting them to recommend projects such as construction of tubewells, farm forestry, desilting of ponds, irrigation works, strengthening irrigation embankments and drinking water projects under the MPLADS funds with them to tackle drought and meet the irrigation requirements of the next rabi crop.

The NCP leader’s suggestion comes soon after Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked party legislators to contribute 20 per cent of their basic salary — for one year — to meet the challenges of the drought-like situation in large parts of the country.

If Pawar’s appeal has the intended effect, each MP can recommend works up to Rs 2 crore every year in their respective constituencies. The records available with the government indicate that irrigation is a much-neglected area.

According to the latest annual report (2007-08) of the MPLAD Scheme, irrigation comprised less than 2 per cent of projects, which adds up to less than 3 per cent in monetary terms of total works recommended by the MPs in their constituencies.

Most MPs have focused more on recommending works pertaining to roads and bridges (29.44 per cent of works), other public facilities (27.98 per cent), and education (17.38 per cent). Drinking water projects, primarily hand pumps, comprise about 11 percent of MPs’ works in this category.

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