Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday announced that the government has amended the guidelines for spending the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to provide legislators greater flexibility in addressing the needs of their constituencies.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Abdullah said that several spending caps under different categories have been relaxed or completely removed.
“We have identified specific areas in the CDF guidelines that needed improvement. The ceiling for power development infrastructure, which was earlier ₹50 lakh, has now been removed. Similarly, the ₹10 lakh limit for installing solar panels has also been lifted,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that the revised rules now permit the purchase of water tankers, school buses, and vans.
“In view of the recent floods and the hardships faced by affected families, the government has allowed a one-time relaxation enabling MLAs to use up to ₹50 lakh from the CDF for construction and repair of houses for calamity-affected families during the current and next financial year (2025–26 and 2026–27),” Abdullah said.
He further stated that the requirement to spend at least 80 per cent of CDF funds to prevent lapses has been removed.
“Construction of temporary sheds in calamity-hit areas is now permitted. Additionally, MLAs can now provide grants-in-aid of up to ₹3 lakh to old age homes and youth clubs,” he added.
Abdullah concluded that the amendments to the CDF guidelines were made to better align them with public needs and expectations.
