11 Maharashtra MPs under-utilised development funds: CAG

Mumbai, June 12 : A government watchdog's report has named 11 sitting and former MPs from Maharashtra, including singer Lata Mangeshkar and actress Hema Malini, for under-utilising development funds, an official release said Friday.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), presented in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Friday, said the 11 MPs were entitled to receive Rs.88 crore (Rs.880 million) during 2003-2008 under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) - but utilised a mere Rs.28.81 (Rs.288.1 million).

This was mainly due to non-recommendation of works or cancellation of projects.

The other MPs named in the report are Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Rajya Sabha MPs Pritish Nandy, Eknath Thakur and Rajiv Shukla. Also named are Suresh Prabhu, Vilas Muttemwar, Subhash Deshmukh and Jaisinghrao Gaikwad.

Prabhu and Deshmukh lost the recent Lok Sabha elections, Gaikwad did not contest.