In 1992, the Government of India passed the 73rdand 74th amendments to adopt a decentralised model of governance.The Panchayat Briefs series examines the impact of these reforms in the context of new research on decentralisation in India. The first brief in this series examines the ability of decentralisation to promote inclusive governance through a focus on research on the impact of Gram Sabhas and Reservations on people’s participation.
Sector Scheme Level: Rural Development
Rural Development, GOI 2009-10
Unpacking Transparency and Accountability Measures
In 2008, Kaluram Salvi, Sarpanch of Vijaypura Gram Panchayat, Rajsamand district Rajasthan, implemented a unique experiment aimed at strengthening transparency in the implementation of the Mahatama Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He created a ‘Janta Information System (JIS) by painting crucial information related to implementation of MGNREGA on the walls of the Gram Panchayat office. This study examines the relationship between the JIS and accountability through an analysis of the links between JIS, voice and the formal grievance redressal system.
Spectators and Participants?
How does a hierarchical, top-down state respond to efforts to become directly accountable to its citizens?
This paper analyses this question through India’s experience with implementing social audits for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP), India. Passed by the Indian Parliament in 2005, the MGNREGA legally enshrines the right to work by guaranteeing the provision of 100 days of unskilled wage employment to all rural households in India. In its design, the Act incorporates a number of transparency and accountability features, crucial amongst which is Section 17 of the Act mandating the regular conduct of social audits of works sanctioned under MGNREGA.
Public Service Delivery through Social Audits
The paper examines the effectiveness of social audit as a tool to enhance accountability by measuring the impact of social audit on the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the flagship employment guarantee program of the Government of India, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods.
Transparency and Accountability in NREGA
This paper documents the Andhra Pradesh experience of institutionalising social audits into the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), and uses it to analyse the social audit process. It draws on empirical work aimed at measuring the effectiveness of social audits conducted in Andhra Pradesh between March and December 2007.