Himachal MPs came to aid of J&K cloudburst victims

Three MPs from Himachal Pradesh donated funds from their annual MPLADS for cloudburst victims of Leh.

Shimla: The Members of Parliament (MPs) from Himachal Pradesh are known for their generosity: three MPs had donated funds from their annual Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for cloudburst victims of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir in 2010.

This fact came to light in a written reply that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh offered to a query in the Assembly on Tuesday. Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar had donated Rs 10 lakh for Leh victims, while Virbhadra Singh, now a former MP, and Rajan Sushant donated Rs 5 lakh each. A cloudburst occurred at Choglamsar village in Leh Aug 6, causing flashfloods and mudslides that washed away government offices, paramilitary camps and homes. At least 183 people, including 35 Army men, were killed in the natural disaster. The reply further said Virbhadra Singh spent the maximum amount of Rs 1,479.33 lakh from his discretionary funds for development schemes from 2009-13. He was followed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who spent Rs.1,304.08 lakh during this period, another BJP MP Virender Kashyap (Rs 1,191.47 lakh), BJP suspended MP Sushant (Rs 1,184.09 lakh) and BJP`s Shanta Kumar (Rs 1,171.66 lakh). Congress` Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur, now a former MP, had spent Rs 943.1 lakh from discretionary funds from 2009-12. BJP`s Rajya Sabha member Bimla Kashyap had spent Rs 954.16 lakh from 2010-13, while JP Nadda, BJP`s newly inducted Rajya Sabha member, spent Rs 252.95 lakh. Interestingly, no amount of any MP lapsed during this period, according to the reply filed by the chief minister. IANS