Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has revamped the way MPLADS-funded projects are processed, making it compulsory for every bill, approval and fund release to go through the Union government’s e-SAKSHI portal.
The move aims to cut down paperwork, speed up payments and leave a clearer audit trail of how MPs’ local development funds are used.
Under the new guidelines, the MPLADS cell will prepare the initial bills for each project and send digital requests to the civic finance department to generate the required transaction reference numbers. Once payments are processed, the system updates the entries online, allowing both the MPLADS cell and the implementing agencies to move ahead without the long back-and-forth that often slows these projects.
An official opined that a key change is the shift to a fully digital workflow. All MPLADS bills must be created, certified and tracked through the e-KMC 2.0 finance module, with the same details reflected on the e-SAKSHI portal.
Implementing agencies must upload the physical bill and supporting documents online and payments will be made only after digital entries match the physical paperwork. “The new workflow strengthens verification at every stage,” the official said, noting that payments will move only after all checks are completed.
The guidelines also set out a digital process for releasing retention money or security deposits.
While the rules governing such releases remain the same, the entire movement of these funds must now pass through the online system. Once a project is completed, the entire file will be preserved for audit and future reference.
Implementing agencies are required to upload utilisation certificates within the prescribed timelines and submit inspection reports to the MPLADS cell so that expenditure can be closed on the portal. As another official put it, the updated system “creates a clear, real-time record of how MPLADS funds are spent, from start to finish.”
Civic officials say the shift to a digital setup will help reduce delays, improve monitoring and strengthen public confidence in the way local development funds are managed.