Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday unveiled simplified guidelines for the MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) and Chief Minister’s Special Assistance (CM-SA) schemes, along with launching a dedicated MLALAD web portal — https://mlalads.odisha.gov.in — at Lok Seva Bhawan. The announcement was made in the presence of cabinet colleagues ahead of the state cabinet meeting.
The revised guidelines, prepared under the supervision of the Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner with inputs from MLAs, Assembly Committee members, and a study of best practices in neighbouring states, are aimed at making project execution more transparent, faster, and easier to monitor.
The Chief Minister said the new rules would streamline administrative processes, ensuring swift completion of small but essential infrastructure projects. A 30-day timeline has been set for the entire cycle — from project recommendation to approval and issuance of work orders.
The MLALAD web portal will serve as a single platform for MLAs to recommend projects, assess requirements, prepare cost estimates, obtain approvals, issue work orders, monitor execution, and track expenditure in real time. Constituency residents will also be able to view details of projects proposed by their MLAs, bringing greater transparency to the scheme.
Launched in 1997–98, the MLA Local Area Development Fund has seen its per-constituency allocation grow from ₹5 lakh initially to ₹3 crore in recent years. For 2025–26, each constituency will receive ₹5 crore. The CM-SA guidelines have also been simplified to ensure faster project implementation.
Development Commissioner Anu Garg provided an overview of the new framework and portal at the event, which was attended by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, ministers, and senior officials.
