📋 Tender Overview
The Department of Rural Development has decided to institutionalize the social audits in major schemes of Rural Development starting with NSAP and PMAY-G as a beginning is made in these two schemes by preparing the Guidelines. In this backdrop a two-day National Seminar on Social Audit of Rural Development Programmes is being organised at Vigyan Bhavan New Delhi on 13th and 14th November 2019 jointly by the Department of Rural Development and National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj with an objective to understand the current status of social audits and Social Audit Units and develop plan for roll out of social audit in other programmes.The National Seminar will be inaugurated by the Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. Shri Rajiv Mehrishi the CAG and Secretary Department of Rural Development Shri Amarjeet Sinha will also be present during the inauguration and share their thoughts. State Principal Secretaries of Rural Development MGNREGA Commissioners senior officers from the NSAP and PMAY-G implementing Divisions Directors of Social Audit Units SAUs and selected social audit resource persons from the States have been invited to participate in the Seminar. In addition senior officials of the Department of Rural Development and NIRDPR will also participate.The Seminar will take stock of the current status of Social Audits and SAUs in terms of independency funds issues identified actions taken etc. and will provide a platform for SAUs to share their experiences of conducting social audit. Models and best practices in social audit from across States in India and also from other countries will be showcased. Participants will also develop an action plan for strengthening SAUs and roll out of social audit in other rural development programmes especially National Social Assistance Programme NSAP and Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Gramin PMAY-G.Social Audit is recognized by many including the Comptroller and Auditor General CAG as a powerful tool to enforce transparency and accountability. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MGNREGA was the first Act to mandate Social Audits by the Gram Sabha of all the projects taken up in the Gram Panchayat. According to Section 17 of the MGNREGA 2005 The Gram Sabha shall conduct regular social audits of all the projects under the scheme taken up within the Gram Panchayat. MGNREGA Audit of Schemes Rules was passed by the Central Government in consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General CAG in 2011.In addition to MGNREGA few States have taken up social audit of other schemes as well. Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Gramin PMAY-G audits are done in Uttar Pradesh Meghalaya and West Bengal. National Social Assistance Programme NSAP audits are done in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Meghalaya Legislature has enacted The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act 2017 which mandates social audit in 26 different schemes in Education Health Rural Development and other areas. Eight States have taken up Social Audit of 11 different schemes including Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Gramin PMAY-G Swachh Bharat Mission SBM National Social Assistance Programme NSAP Integrated Child Development Service ICDS and Mid-Day Meals MDM.
