Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Keep a close eye: Social audits in India -Santosh Kumar Biswal and Uttam Chakraborty

Keep a close eye: Social audits in India -Santosh Kumar Biswal and Uttam Chakraborty

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Nov 6, 2020   modified Modified on Mar 5, 2021

-The Telegraph

The government has not institutionalized SAUs which are at times intimidated when it comes to accessing data on various programmes

The auditing agility of government programmes seems to have gained strength. After the recent floods in Assam, the state planned to carry out a social audit of relief measures to look into corruption and bribery. This is the first time that any government is trying to reinforce a social audit in the aftermath of a natural disaster. But when the nation is inundated with a plethora of fraudulent activities and policy paralysis is rampant, the nature and compass of social audits should be overhauled. In this context, the government is planning to institutionalize social audits in the National Social Assistance Programme and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin.

Recently, the Centre ordered a probe into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Punjab as it was alleged that funds were being siphoned off from the Central scheme. A multi-crore scam under the MGNREGA scheme in Gujarat was also alleged. Several people who are dead have been found to be not just ‘working’ under the scheme but are also getting paid. Jharkhand’s Social Audit Unit found that 48 per cent of people did not receive two months’ worth of ration during the lockdown under the public distribution scheme.

There is no doubt that the ambit of social audits to actualize the pace of developmental projects is getting wider and has undergone a remarkable change. It is no longer restricted to areas like the MGNREGA and the National Food Security Act where the mechanism is meant to reduce corruption; monitor and ensure accountability; and elicit community participation and engagement. The basic difference between social audits and other audits lies in the fact that the beneficiaries are the auditors.

In India, social audits were begun by Tata Iron and Steel Company in 1979. Later, such auditing mechanism gained significance after the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution which attempted to empower panchayati raj institutions and gram sabhas by arming them with such audits. This has worked wonders and made a landmark impact in some states. Andhra Pradesh could minimize leakages and wastage in the MGNREGA; Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh managed to check specific irregularities through sarpanchs and sachivs in the gram sabha.

Please click here to read more.


The Telegraph, 6 November, 2020, https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/keep-a-close-eye-social-audits-in-india/cid/1796676


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close