A two days Hands-on Training Workshop on e-SAKSHI Portal for revised fund flow procedure under Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Scheme is being organized by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on 20 and 21 June 2024 in New Delhi. The event is being attended by representatives from all States/UTs and district officials.

Under the MPLAD Scheme, an amount of Rs. 5 crore is allocated to each Member of Parliament (MP) and they can recommend development works for creating durable community assets based on locally felt needs. The scheme has an annual outlay of around Rs. 4000 crore, which is used for implementation of recommended works sanctioned by the District Authorities. The MPLADS guidelines have been revised with effect from 1 April 2023 and eSAKSHI portal was launched, which is an end to end solution for efficient and transparent implementation of the MPLAD scheme.

Earlier, the whole process starting from recommendation of work by Hon’ble MPs, sanction of works by District Authorities to payments to Implementing Agencies was done manually and authorizations were issued to Hon’ble MPs only after requisite paper work was completed.  In the new system, the release of entitlements has been streamlined and authorization of Rs.5 crore is issued in one go at the beginning of the Financial Year. Transitions from physical accounts to a digital platform has eliminated the need for pre-conditions in fund release, enhancing agility and reducing bureaucratic hurdles. MPs can now digitally recommend, view and review projects, through a click and OTP-based verification system. They can also recommend works on the go, through the mobile app. District Authorities can sanction works and monitor implementation by Implementing Agencies. Payments are directly made to the Implementing Agencies on uploading proof of completion of works on the portal after verification by District Authorities. Real-time visibility and tracking of works and fund utilization on e-SAKSHI portal, through the dashboards available to all stakeholders ensures enhanced transparency and accountability in scheme implementation.

While addressing the participants, Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI emphasized the importance of the role of States /UT Governments in successful implementation of the MPLAD Scheme. He said that the MPLAD scheme impacts the citizens of the country directly and the portal should be used for implementing, monitoring and analyzing the impact of the scheme effectively, so as to ensure that the benefits of the scheme directly flow to the people.

During the workshop, the MPLADS Division of MoSPI would be providing hand-on training to around 150 Master Trainers from States/UTs on the e-SAKSHI Portal. The goal of the workshop is to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and utilize the portal efficiently. The Master Trainers would be responsible for sensitizing and imparting further training to the district officials as well as more than 15000 Implementing Agencies in 785 districts to ensure successful implementation of the scheme across the country.

Digital fund flow under MPLAD scheme streamlines authorizations and payments via e-SAKSHI portal, enhancing transparency nationwide. Revised MPLAD fund-flow is digitized through the e-SAKSHI portal: annual entitlements are authorized upfront, MPs digitally recommend projects via OTP or mobile app, District Authorities sanction and verify completion, and payments are made directly to Implementing Agencies upon upload of completion proofs; real-time dashboards enable stakeholder visibility and reduce administrative pre-conditions.