Social Audits - Experience of Andhra Pradesh, India

1. Social Audits - Experience of Andhra Pradesh, India

2. What is a Social Audit? • Participatory process through which community members monitor the implementation of government programs and projects in their community • Social audit complements financial audit. • Auditing quality, performance, and choices strengthens financial audit

3. VICIOUS CYCLE

4. POSITIVE CYCLE

5. Social Audit by the people • citizens’ vigilance + governance • transparency + accountability • democratic practice + democratic institutions

6. Social and Financial Audit • FA = Was the money spent correctly? • SA = Did the spending make a difference? • Social Audit: • Assesses performance and unpacks decisions • Complements financial audit SA + FA = True Picture

7. The Imperatives of the Process • Full access to all information prior to social audit, with enough time for assimilation and verification • Obligation on officials to be present and answer queries • The outcomes must have legally sanctioned implications. • Creating an enabling atmosphere

8. Case Study of Social Audits of the MGNREGS in Andhra Pradesh - India • 6 rounds of Social Audits – 21,000 GPs • Misappropriation identified : Rs. 141.11Cr (INR) • Total Amount Recovered : Rs. 24 Cr • Staff implicated in cases: 49,194 • Staff removed based on the SA findings :5220 • Staff suspended : 1230 • FIR’s filed : 163 • Punishment Imposed : 13,579

9. How did the State achieve this? • Began Social Audits through a small unit -SPIU-RD • The SPIU-RD wound up in 2009 – SSAAT established in May 2009 • 0.5% of the MGNREGS budget set aside for SA • In a span of 6 years -Human Resource base built up • State Resource Persons => 100 • District Resource Persons => 1000 • Village Social Auditors => 70,000 Scaled up to all 22 Districts of the entire State

10. Mobilizing Political will • Political will was mobilized by top level bureaucracy • The Chief Minister (Premier of the State) directly monitored the progress • Logic given: • Distancing of Govt from corrupt practices is good politics • Can win elections • Chance to interact with large number of people • Publicity for welfare programme • Borne out in the 2009 state elections

11. Administrative will Complete backing by the top level officials • SSAAT as independent unit outside the main stream • Combination of written instructions and a constant sensitization, • Efforts to bring in the various stake holders • Constant bridge building between administration and civil society activists

12. Systematization Rules for conduct of Social Audit (2009) • passed through the State Legislative Assembly • govern the response of the administration to social audit • Making all the records accessible • Presence of officials was made mandatory for all public hearings post the social audit • Use of relevant laws for immediate corrective action

13. Way forward • Synergy with the Auditor General’s Office in the State • Consolidate where already under social audit • MGNREGS (Employment Programme) • Social Security Pensions • Water Preservation Programmes • Rural Housing for the poor • Food Security Programme • Bring all development projects and programmes under Social Audit • Constantly train & spread technique to other departments to do social audit on their own

14. Village Social Auditor Training

15. Village Social Auditors consolidating the records

16. Field Verification during Social Audit process

17. Meeting the beneficiaries

18. Worksite Verification

19. Social Audit Public Hearing – Reports being read out

20. Beneficiary testifying in Public Hearing

21. Beneficiaries testifying in a Social Audit Public Hearing