Scaling up and Institutionalization of Social Audits in Andhra Pradesh

1. Scaling up and Institutionalization of Social Audits in Andhra Pradesh B. Rajsekhar Director, Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency (SSAAT) Government of Andhra Pradesh December 17, 2009 Jaipur

2. NREGA and RTI • Commitment to transparency and accountability runs throughout the NREGA- flows from the Right to Information Act, 2005; • Onus of providing information is on the State to ensure transparency and accountability; • NREGA mandates that the RTI be followed in letter & spirit – proactive disclosure of information must be strictly complied with at all levels;

3. NREGA and the MIS • In context of this commitment to transparency the Go AP decided to invest its time and energy in the initial phases to create a Management Information System; • Even as the Scheme was notified the MIS was put into place with the help of Tata Consultancy Services; • All job cards were generated by the MIS at the Mandal (Block) level; • Importantly – all payments are made through MIS – musters fed into system, pay-orders generated & money transferred into PO accounts of labourers

4. IT and Accountability • IT provides efficient methodology for pro-active disclosure of info • Transaction-based IT architecture - Enable user-defined reports & analysis • Does all this mean – Accountability? • IT in conjunction with primary stakeholders monitoring

5. POSITIVE CYCLE

6. VICIOUS CYCLE

7. NREGS-Social Audit • Innovative feature of NREGA – central role given to “Social Audits”; • Section 17 of Act mandates conduct of Social Audits • Basic objective - ensure public accountability in implementation of projects, laws & policies; • Entitlement for all stakeholders –participate decision making & validation continuous process of public vigilance;

8. THE GENESIS • In AP it began as a project of the Strategies Performance Innovations Unit (Rural Development) • A pilot social audit conducted on the NFFWP in 3 villages with help of MKSS under reform action plan • Pilot Social Audits demonstrated the effectiveness of social audit process.

9. In the Beginning… • A pilot SA of NREGS was undertaken in Nalgonda District • Realization that unless a formal platform is provided for the community to ask questions no amount of publicity will bear fruit in NREGS-AP • Insights of the pilot led to resolve that SA would be an important part of the NREGS-AP • Decision to begin the process in three districts initially to evolve a roll-out strategy

10. Mile Stones in the process • Pool of state officials sensitized to Social Audit created within the Department of RD • Pool of State Resource Persons created (#44) • Pool of District Resource Persons created for 22 Districts (#440) • More than 50000 Village Social Auditors trained

11. Social Audit Tools developed Training modules/Training films/Step by step process for doing SA, Rules for SA passed by Assembly • Presently social audit is on in all the 22 EGS districts. • Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency formed in May 2009

12. Social Audit Process • Mandal is the administrative unit (Average 21 Panchayats) in which SA is done SA is done in all the panchayats over a 10 day period. • Starts with application filed under RTI for relevant records of EGS • SRPs &DRPS go into the villages and identify literate youth (@2-4 per habitation ) from labourer’s families • These are trained as VSAs • 100 people (approximately) are formed into 9-10 teams

13. Social Audit Processes • Each team does Social Audit in 2-3 gram panchayats • Verification of figures on records with facts on ground • Awareness building on rights and entitlements of the wage seekers • Corrective measures are taken immediately • On a pre notified date a social audit public meeting is held.

14. Public, concerned officials, political representatives, media participate • Village wise SA findings are read out, public testifies, officials respond • Corrective action is taken.

15. Administration’s role in social audits • Access to Information and copies of office records • Cooperation at field level during a social audit • Senior officers from state and district are present during social audit report reading • Immediate corrective action is taken on the gaps and lapses • Administration does not interfere at any stage in the SA process

16. Some Figures…… • Number of districts ongoing : 22 • Number of Habitations covered : 50,000 • Value of EGS works : Rs.3000 Crs • Number of village activists trained: 50,000 • Number of MPDOs trained in SA : 600 • Number of CSOs involved: >150 • Wage seekers reached: 45 lakhs

17. More Figures…… • Applications filed under RTI: 1178 • Documents scrutinized publicly: 50 lakh records • Elected Reps participated : 20000 • No. Of MLAs attended SA’s : 75 • Amount Recovered voluntarily: Approximately Rs.4 crores

18. IMPACT OF SOCIAL AUDIT PROCESS IN AP • One year after initiation SA is an accepted term • Some check on outright corruption • Wage-seekers have started applying for info under RTI • Analysis of SA data feeds back into policy level modifications • Other Depts. are actively exploring doing SA’s (Mid Day Meal Scheme, BC welfare, Technical Education, Health etc)

19. ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE TO FINDINGS • About 1428 Field Assistants and 144 Technical Assistants dismissed • Criminal Action initiated on 203 people • 10 Mandal Parishad Development Officers suspended • 1171 Departmental Enquiries initiated

20. SSAAT’s role to facilitate Social Audits • Constant bridge building between administration and civil society activists • Certain non negotiable in the SA itself. Eg: Findings in SA will be compulsorily read out in the public meeting, holding of public meeting regardless of circumstances (like an election) . • Taken forward as a constructive exercise aimed at strengthening the program and not as a fault finding or witch hunting mission

21. SSAAT STRUCTURE DIRECTOR, SSAAT SOCIALDEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST (1) DEPUTY DIRECTORS – (2 Members – Administration / M&E) STATE TEAM MONITORS (5 Members) NGOs STATE RESOURCE PERSONS (2 * 22 = 44) DISTRICT RESOURCE PERSONS ( 20* 22 = 440) VILLAGE SOCIAL AUDITORS (4-5 Per Gram Panchayat)

22. Support extended by Government • GO No.431 – Guidelines on conduct of SA • Notification of NREGS-AP Conducting of Social Audit Rules 2008 • Rules to establish SA as an open and inclusive M&E tool under NREGA • SA as a means to increase transparency & accountability in administration

23. GO No.293 – Declaring NREGS as Public Utility Services for the purposes of settlement of cases under Chapter VI-A of the Legal Services Authority Act, 1987 • GO No.153 – Financial Guidelines – earmarking 0.5% of the total NREGA funds for conduct of social auditing of NREGS. • GO No.155 – Constitution of SSAAT • GO No.171 – Creation of posts for social audit

24. IT in Social Audit • Exclusive web site for SA – www.socialauditap.com • Link provided in NREGS website. All SA reports are now available in the public domain • SA reports in telugu are sent by post to GramIT Rural BPO at Ethakota, East Godavari District • Translated and put on the web-site by a dedicated team

25. Data Based Management System (DBMS) • Setting up a Data Based Management System • Link the NREGS report to the Social Audit reports • Provide insights into the implementation of the scheme to plug loop holes • Generate reports to assess the performance of the implementing agencies

26. Public Accountability – Best practice • Aug 20th 2009 - National Workshop on NREGA: A step towards governance reform, transparency and accountability • AP social audit process to be replicated in all the states