MLAs across party lines look for new ideas, collaboration at legislators meet

MUMBAI: "If people know about a scheme, then they ask for it and implementation becomes easy," said BJP MLA Mahendrapal Singh from Piprich in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, who was impressed with the regeneration of water resource schemes being implemented in South India. He was among the around 2,200 MLAs who converged at BKC for the first-ever National Legislators Conference (NLC) on Friday.

Bihar has the biggest contingent of 149 legislators.

Pon Jayaseelan, AIADMK MLA from Gudalur in Tamil Nadu, expressed unhappine-ss over funds meant for scheduled castes and tribes not being fully utilised across the country. Dealing with the bure-aucracy was another common pain point. Shilpi Tirkey, Congress MLA from Mandar in Jharkhand, said this collaboration was important as it helped understand how to implement welfare schemes. "This is a good platform that helps us collaborate, find new ideas...," she said.

For Congress MLA Mamata Rakesh from Bhagwanpur in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district, how to effectively present an issue in the assembly has been a major learning. BJP MLA Arun Shankar Prasad from Khajauli in Bihar's Madhubani district said Rajasthan government's Chiranjeevi health scheme was worth implementing, while Congress' Purnima Niraj Singh found Himachal's Rs 3,000 monthly scheme for people suffering from incurable diseases worth emulating in Jharia constituency in Dhanbad district, Jharkhand.