Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking restoration of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which was suspended for two fiscals in early April last year to free up budgeted funds to deal with the additional financial burden on the exchequer owing to Covid-19.

Pointing out that his constituency Amroha in Uttar Pradesh has not been provided any “notable medical facility’’ using money from PM-CARES — a fund created last year to draw donations for providing relief to the people — or the suspended amount of MPLADS, Ali makes out a case for decentralisation of healthcare.

“Decentralisation of the responsibility of providing healthcare is very important in this hour of crisis. The handing over of funds of MPLAD to all MPs and other public representatives who know their area well is a very important step in enabling them to provide relief to the people of their area,’’ the Lok Sabha MP said in his letter to the Prime Minister.

According to him, Amroha is in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. The disease has spread from village to village but there is a huge shortage of medicines, beds, oxygen and other medical facilities necessary to deal with the virus. “The district administration is expressing its helplessness in providing relief to the people of my constituency and saving their lives,’’ Ali said.

“In view of the catastrophic situation created by the second wave of Covid, as a representative of my people, I request you to immediately release the funds to all the MPs of the country... so that I and all other members of Parliament could try to save the lives by setting up oxygen plants...’’ he wrote.