The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) was launched on 23rd December; 1993.This scheme comes under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Some of the important features of the scheme include:

1. Funds are released in the form of grants-in-aid, directly to the district authorities. At present, the annual entitlement per MP/ constituency is Rs. 5 crore.
2. The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable, i.e., the entitlement of funds not released in a particular year is carried forward to the subsequent years, subject to eligibility.
3. Under MPLADS, the role of the Members of Parliament is limited to recommend works. Thereafter, it is the responsibility of the district authority to sanction, execute and complete the works recommended by the Members of Parliament, within the stipulated time period.
4. The elected Lok Sabha Members can recommend works in their respective constituencies. The elected members of the Rajya Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the state from which they are elected. The nominated members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha can recommend works for implementation, anywhere in the country.