STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Social Audit is a democratic process and a powerful tool for social transformation, community participation and government accountability. Within its ambit, it covers issues of quality of implementation of the programme along with audit of expenses and decisions.
It is an empowering process for the people to participate in the process planning and implementation of works and make the implementing agency accountable for the same. In a social audit, the people and the government jointly monitor the project.
Keeping in view the significance of independent social audits, the Government of J&K established the Social Audit Unit, Department of Rural Development and PR, for smooth conduct of social audit of MGNREGA and other flagship programmes. Pertinently, after reorganization of J&K state into UT, there were 20 districts and 4291 panchayats and presence of social audit as on today is in 13 districts including Kishtwar, Shopian, Doda, Bandipora, Kathua, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Samba, Budgam, Reasi, Baramulla, Kulgam and Anantnag. For rest of the districts, recruitment process has started and the social audit teams will be in place soon.
In 2019-20, JKSAU had audited 788 GPs against the planned audit of 1344 GPs. Similarly, 1161 GPs have been audited during 2020-21 against 1873 GPs planned to be audited. Besides, social audit of all the planned GPs has been completed and uploaded on MIS during 2021-22. Unfortunately, due to outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic, the number of audited GPs remained slightly lesser than the planned ones. However, the matter has already been taken up with MoRD and this data will be uploaded soon. The Directorate of Social Audit is a fully functional unit now and will soon be covering all the districts of J&K, auditing not only MGNREGA but many other GoI schemes as well.