Social Audits as a tool of transparency in the rural public works scheme of India

Rahul Tiwrekar    

This column uses a rights-based framework to analyse the assessment of social safety-net schemes meant for poverty alleviation. One of the most prominent initiatives taken by the Indian state is to provide a guarantee of employment to its rural citizens under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). Today this is the world’s largest public works scheme. To bring about transparency and accountability in the implementation of this scheme, a social audit was made at regular intervals. This column analyses this social audit tool.

In 1972 the Maharashtra state government initiated an employment guarantee scheme. After 35 years, the government of India adopted it nationally for all rural districts of the country. Many efforts were made to reduce embezzlement of funds and implement this public works scheme effectively. However, there were still complaints about fake attendance, bogus works and low wages. Against this backdrop, the National Advisory Council (NAC)[1], comprised of activists, proposed to include a social audit in the NREGA. Under section 17 of the NREGA, every village council (Gram Panchayat) should conduct a social audit of work undertaken in its jurisdiction every 6 months. Beneficiaries of the government welfare scheme publically record their observation about the benefit they are receiving, and also issues related to its implementation.