Social audits are a citizen-driven form of social accountability. In a social audit, state documents are made available for public scrutiny and public hearings are held with the officers responsible.
Author: accountability
Unbearable Lightness of Being the State
The State is, and will, remain for the conceivable future, given the trajectory of our economy, the primary vehicle of empowerment, of dignity and status
Keep India’s Delicate Federal Balance Intact
Dual control of the IAS is at the heart of the federal structure. The Delhi ordinance challenges it. It can create fissures between Centre, states
One Stop, Many Challenges: Sakhi Centres Struggle To Support Women Survivors of Violence
While there are 733 One Stop Centres operational in the country, the scheme faces several challenges in providing effective assistance and support to women who are survivors of violence
There’s No Poverty Data, Therefore There’s No Poverty
Here is the irony: Despite this plethora of political announcements, India has not witnessed a significant expansion in its welfare spending
Grassroots Democracy Needs Urgent Attention
India’s experiment with grassroots democracy, 30 years after the creation of local government institutions, highlights the dangers of overcentralisation.
In India, Is A Guaranteed Funded Pension Feasible?
New models piloted by Andhra Pradesh and Brazil show a path beyond political posturing, and ensuring fiscal sustainability, certainty of benefits and innovation.
Democracy, Bureaucracy, and State Capacity: The False Choices We Make
Too often, debates on State capacity veer in the direction of setting up a false dichotomy between democracy and efficiency.
PM Poshan| Experts Express Concern Over Quality of Food, Seek Higher Budget Allocation
The PM POSHAN scheme covers 12 crore children in India and is touted to be one of the world’s largest school meal programmes. The allocation, though, in this year’s budget has fallen to Rs 11,600 crore rupees from FY23’s revised estimates (RE) of Rs 12,800 crore.
The Structural Constraints that Hinder Reform in India
Data from the 2023 Economic Survey illustrates an enduring tension in the dynamics of Centre-state relations that constrains policy reforms.