Tuesday, January 5, 2010

NREGA Social Audit in Unnao

NREGA Social Audit in Unnao
A social audit of national rural employment guarantee scheme (NREGS) shall be conducted by Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh (UP), during 15-21 January 2010.

"Commitment to transparency and accountability runs through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). This commitment also flows from the right to information Act 2005. The Right to Information (RTI) Act should be followed in both letter and spirit in all matters relating to NREGA. No request (for information) should be refused under any circumstances. All NREGA-related information is in the public domain" says the chapter 10 of the NREGA operational guidelines. Read more

The third pillar of the peoples Right to Information is the use of the platform for peoples participation facilitated by "social audit." Social audit allows for collective evaluation, and use of the non written mode, and it mandates demystification of documents and procedures. 

The NREGA guidelines dedicate an entire chapter (11) to compulsory social audit. The guidelines state: "An innovative feature of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is that it gives a central role to 'social audits' as a means of continuous public vigilance (NREGA, Section 17). One simple form of social audit is a public assembly where all the details of a project are scrutinized. However, 'social audit' can also be understood in a broader sense, as a continuous process of public vigilance."

In Unnao social audit planned during 15-21 January 2010, villagers and activists associated with Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) will be conducting social audit of work done under NREGS in the district, to ascertain the quality of work as well as veracity of documents which have been obtained under the RTI Act. The focus will be specially on issues related to workers, like issue of job cards, who keeps them, giving of work, payment of wages, fulfillment of other provisions, etc. "All are cordially invited to join this audit" says the organizers of the social audit.

The training to conduct social audit will be held during 15-16 January 2010 at the Fatehpur Chaurasi Block office. Upon conclusion of social audit a public hearing will be held at the Block office on 21 January 2010 which is likely to be attended by District level officials, officials of the Rural Development Department of Government of UP and some past and present people's representatives.

7 comments:

  1. Good To Read,
    Can Any one Provide Detail's of
    Day wise Activity?
    I Mean 15th-Jan-Village/Block Name=?
    16th-Jan-Village/Block Name=?
    .......
    17th....
    18th....
    19th....
    20th...
    21st.....

    Kindly Please Update if Have

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Alok ji

    many thanks for your comment.

    January 15-16
    ---------------
    On January 15 and 16, there is a training on conducting social audit.

    Training to conduct social audit will be offered on 15th & 16th Jan. at the Fatehpur Chaurasi Block office.

    January 21
    -------------
    Upon conclusion of social audit a public hearing will be held at the Block office on 21st Jan. which is likely to be attended by District level officials, officials of the Rural Development Dept. of Govt. of UP and some past and present people's representatives.

    How to reach:
    --------------
    Unnao is a railway station between Lucknow and Kanpur. To reach Fatehpur Chaurasi take a private bus from Unnao and get down at Kali Mitti, after about 20 kms. Fatehpur Chaurasi Block office is walking distance from Kali Mitti.

    Local Contacts:
    ----------------
    Anil Msihra, 09956501581, Advocate Rajendra Mishra, 09415779030

    For more information, contact:
    ------------------------------
    Dr Sandeep Pandey/ Arundhati Dhuru
    Asha Parivar and NAPM, UP
    Ph: 0522 2347365, M: 9415022772
    Email: ashaashram@yahoo.com

    Dear Alok ji, for more details, please contact the above given people.

    warm wishes

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Very Much.

    Will be in touch...

    Also Like to be there on 21st if Mr.Dr Sandeep Pandey/ Arundhati Dhuru will Allow.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sure Alok ji, you are more than welcome ,as entire social audit programme including training is an open public programme and all are invited. Please be welcome. It will be good to directly call the organizers or local contacts and liaise, warm wishes and thanks for the support

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am interested in linking the public health programs - like the RNTCP (National TB Prog) to social audit - can you detail your suggestion about it....we would be very happy to support it/try it in different parts of the country- UP is one of the poor performing states for the TB program but maybe social audit can help identify the malaise.
    S

    ReplyDelete
  6. knowledge is the wing with which we can fly to heaven for knowledge is power knowledge is light.

    ReplyDelete