SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY PILOTS IN KERALA REPORT CARDS OF GRAMA PANCHAYTS

1. SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY PILOTS IN KERALAREPORT CARDS OF GRAMA PANCHAYTS Dr. Sunny George, Dr.P.P. Balan, Dr. Sita Sekhar

2. INTRODUCTION • Decentralisation and Participatory Planning in Kerala • Citizens Report Cards • Report Cards of Four Grama Panchayats

3. PARTICIPATORY PLANNING • By all Local Govts. both Rural and Urban • Devolution of: • Functions • Functionaries • Finance • Freedom • Planning for Economic Development and Social Justice by Local Bodies • Eight Basic Steps

4. PROVISION FOR PARTICIPATION OF PEOPLE • SHGs • Grama Sabha • Participatory Planning • Beneficiary Selection

5. PARTICIPATORY PLANNING IN KERALA Needs Identification - Grama Sabha Situation Analysis – Dev. Report Strategy Setting – Seminar at GP Preparation of Projects Plan Finalisation Plan Vetting by TAC Plan Approval by DPC

6. OTHER INITIATIVES • Ombudsman • Appellate Tribunals • Citizens Charter • IT Applications • Massive awareness programmes

7. CITIZEN REPORT CARDS – WHO USES THEM AND WHY • Non Government Organizations to hold state to account • Government to initiate reforms • Donor agencies to promote Government reforms • A Consortium of the above stakeholders to retain objectivity and also achieve all the above objectives

8. CITIZEN REPORT CARD – PREPARATORY STAGE

9. Defining CRC Objectives Development of Survey Instrument Sample Selection Data collection/Survey Data Analysis Interpretation Dissemination and Advocacy CITIZEN REPORT CARD – THE STAGES

10. Objectives of the Study • experiment a methodology for examining the performance of local governments (panchayats) based on feedback from citizens/beneficiaries • to prepare Citizens Report Card (CRC) in four Grama Panchayats • services considered in this study are • education • health • integrated child development (ICDS) • panchayat office • sanitation • governance

11. EDUCATION Management of Government Pre-Primary Schools and Primary Schools; Implementation of Literacy Programmes; and Promotion of activities of Libraries and Reading rooms.

12. HEALTH • Immunisation • programmes for disease prevention and control • Awareness building on of social evils • Management of Dispensaries and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres in all system of medicine • Management of child welfare centres and maternity homes • Implementation of family welfare activities.

13. ICDS • nutrition programme: 0-6 years; • Pre-school education: 3-6 years; • Medical check-up: children, pregnant women and feeding mothers • nutrition for pregnant women, feeding mothers and adolescent girls; • Referral services • Implementation of Balika Samridhi Yojana

14. PANCHAYAT OFFICE • Registration of Birth and Death and issuing of certificates; • Licenses and permits for trade; • Regulation of building and issuing of ownership certificate; • Collection of various taxes from the public; • Distribution of pensions; and • Development Functions

15. SANITATION • Collection and disposal of solid waste and control of liquid waste disposal; • Water drainage schemes; • Management of markets; • Providing toilet facilities in public places; and • Implementation of sanitation programmes

16. GOVERNANCE • Grama Sabha as Integral part of Local Governance • Participation of People in Governance • Selection of Beneficiary for individual benefits

17. The Process • a two-day workshop at KILA • Grama Panchayats: Avoly, Kadaplamattom, Keezhuparmba, Kolazhy • sampling 300, for each subject, or census • questionnaire • handbook for data collection • training innvestigators

19. PERFORMANCE • Marks around fifty per cent • None of the services got sixty per cent

27. School • Access: Good - distance of 3 k.m., road connectivity • Usage: Good - in terms of attendance, but Schools are not used by average family • Infrastructure: good - building, class rooms, benches and desks, latrine, mid-day meal and drinking water • Free Text books to all girl students and to all SC/ST students, notebooks by mobilising contribution, Medical check-ups by health centres • Human Resource: trained teachers, regular to the schools • Interface: PTA, good relation, no cost except the annual fee, faced some minor issues – settled immediately, no corruption

28. SCHOOLS: Suggestions • improve building facility • provide electricity to classrooms • provide sports materials • improve library facility • improve quality of toilets • improve quality of drinking water • improve standard of teaching • make adequate computer facility • services are available at school, but its quality is very low

30. HEALTH CENTRES • Access: Good – majority 1 km, all at least 1 within 5 km • Usage: all are outpatients, treatment for fever, body pain, head ache, ENT diseases, asthma, blood pressure, skin diseases, sugar problems, ulcer, joint pain, etc., all age category, majority in the age group of 19-45 • Infrastructure: Exists but low quality, insufficient toilets, no facility for inpatients, Medicines are given but only in a limited manner • Human Resource: Very Limited, only one doctor, period of availability of doctor to the patients is very limited • Interface: Good, doctors and staff are regular, behave decently, interface has to be improved, No corruption is reported

32. HEALTH: Suggestions • facility for inpatients • appointment of more doctors on permanent basis • extend the doctor’s service in the evening • make available adequate medicine • improve the waiting facility • improve latrine facility • provide sufficient drinking water • make available regular service of pharmacist • provide laboratory facility • introduce token system

34. ANGANWADIES • Access: Good – majority have it within one k.m. from their residence • Usage: Good: Children and mothers, provided with food, playing materials, and medical check-up, Vaccination. The teacher act as social activist and visit the homes • Infrastructure: Poor - a small building either owned or rented, limited space with a room for the children to play and study, basic facility for preparing food • Human Resource: A Teacher and a Helper • Interface: Good - Public are aware about its activities and children are brought to it voluntarily, There is no issue of corruption

36. ANGANWADIS: Suggestions • develop good building • improve kitchen facility with gas connection • improving space for children to play • provide toys to children • give nutrient food to children and mothers • conduct regular medical check-up • keep growth chart of children

38. PANCHAYAT OFFICE • Access: Good • Usage: Good - birth/death certificates, building permit, trade license, to pay building tax, to pay employment tax, for ownership certificate, for pension • Infrastructure: Good - The panchayats have office facilities with telephone connection • Human Resource: executive head – President (full time), Secretary • Interface: good relation with the people, some indirectly approach the office, people have to visit several times, labourers are losing their wage during, absence of concerned employee in the office. No incident of corruption is reported by the respondents

40. PANCHAYAT OFFICE: Suggestions • improve the waiting facility • changing the attitude of employees • establishing an office in each ward for information • ensure regularity of officers • computerisation of the panchayat office

42. SANITATION: Suggestions • provide public latrines • SWM - public compost facility • establish vermi composting units • bann plastics • create sewage facility • mosquito eradication programme

46. CONCLUSION • Empowered Panchayats • Services are with Panchayats • People have access and using • Interface is Good • Quality of Service is Low • Second Generation Issues