Fully functional Social Audit Department; audit of CSS including MGNREGA to begin soon: J&K govt
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir today said that the Social Audit Directorate is fully functional and will soon start auditing not only MGNREGA but also other Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).
After J&K reorganization, there are 20 districts and 4291 panchayats in the union territory. However, social audit is present in 13 districts so far – Kishtwar, Shopian, Doda, Bandipora, Kathua, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Samba, Budgam, Reasi, Baramulla and Anantnag.
For the rest of the districts, the recruitment process has started and the team will soon be in place. In 2019-2020, JKSAU planned for 1344 GPs to be audited at least once a year. It audited 788 general practitioners.
Similarly, during the 2020-21 financial year, 1,873 general practitioners were to be audited. Including 1161 general practitioners audited. During FY 2021-22, the social audit of all planned GPs was completed and uploaded to MIS.
Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, the number of GPs audited remained slightly lower than expected. However, the issue has already been raised with the MoRD and this data will soon be uploaded with permission from the MoRD.
The government has stated that social auditing is a democratic process that ensures public accountability of agencies through systematic community demand for information.
In his field, he covers quality issues of program implementation as well as an audit of expenditures and decisions. It is a process for people to participate in the planning and implementation process of the works and to hold the executing agency accountable. Thus, it ensures participation, helps maintain transparency and culminates in accountability. As part of a social audit, the population and the Government jointly monitor the project.
“Keeping in mind the importance of independent social audits, the government of J&K has established the Social Audit Unit, Department of Rural Development and Public Relations, for the proper conduct of a social audit of MGNREGA and ‘other flagship programs,’ the government said.