Five months after e-Samarth rollout, Pune MLAs yet to receive development funds

Pune: Five months after the state govt launched the pilot of e-Samarth portal to digitise and bring transparency to the MLA Local Area Development and the Hilly Area Development programmes, Pune district is yet to receive any funds under the new system. This has triggered a concern among legislators and contractors.MLAs raised this issue at the recent district planning committee meeting and it was also taken up separately with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, but disbursements are still awaited, with barely a month left before the close of the financial year, senior district administration officials said.
As of Jan-end, works worth Rs 40 crore under the MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) and Rs 8 crore under the other programme had already been completed in the district. "An amount of Rs 20 crore is required by the end of March. Contractors are continuously following up for the release of payments," an official said. The total funds allocated should be around Rs 120 crore under MLALAD (Rs 5 crore for each of the 24 MLAs), and the required amount is Rs 40-50 crore for this year.Officials attributed the delay to pending orders from the finance department for transferring funds to the dedicated e-Samarth bank account. "Due to non-availability of funds, difficulties are being faced in implementing the pilot project. We have been constantly writing to the govt," the official added.Late deputy chief minister and Pune guardian minister Ajit Pawar, who was instrumental in conceptualising and rolling out the e-Samarth programme in the district, categorically said that all MLALAD and Hilly Area Development funds should be routed exclusively through the portal. He underlined that the success of the Pune pilot was critical, as it was meant to serve as the template for a structured, transparent and time-bound implementation of the system across Maharashtra, officials said.MLAs who wrote to Fadnavis said the objective was to ensure transparency and prevent delays in fund disbursements. "Photographs, bills and fund transfers were meant to be fully streamlined. The system would work seamlessly if funds were released on time," an MLA told TOI.As of now, govt funds under MLALAD in the state continue to be routed through the traditional drawing and disbursement system. The state govt has already issued resolutions for opening a dedicated Bank of Maharashtra account for fund disbursements through e-Samarth, and holding accounts for all implementing agencies have been opened. Officials said information on MLAs and details of works approved in the previous year have been collected from districts for system integration, and technical and procedural audits of the platform have been completed.District officials said the portal integrates multiple layers of monitoring and verification. Every proposal is digitally vetted by the collector's office for technical feasibility and administrative approval, eliminating manual paperwork and reducing delays. The system also allows live tracking of project status, fund disbursement and pending approvals, with automated alerts for delayed tasks, overdue works and under-utilisation of funds."This system will enable legislators to recommend work, and contractors will be bound to meet deadlines. The govt can now monitor real-time on-ground progress, determine pendency, and track utilisation of funds. The Pune pilot's results will guide a state-wide implementation," an official involved in the rollout said.