Social Audit: A Monitoring Tool for the Schemes of Panchayati Raj Institutions in India

Abstract

Panchayati Raj institutions, constitutional units of local self-government, have been seen as instruments of socio-economic transformation in rural India. Panchayat Raj institutions have been involved in the implementation of schemes and form the core of decentralized planning development and its implementation in rural India. Social audit is a never-ending process that involves the potential beneficiaries and other stakeholders of an activity or project from planning to monitoring and evaluation of that activity or project both in the community and in the governing agency. It thus seeks to ensure that the activity or project is designed and implemented in a manner that best suits the prevailing conditions, appropriately reflects the priorities and preferences of those concerned, and serves the public interest as effectively as possible. The main objective of this study is to assess the level of effective functioning of Panchayati Raj in different states of India, with special reference to major programs for poverty alleviation and rural development in different geographical areas such as rural and tribal areas by collecting statistics on the results of PRIs in India. The researcher used both primary and secondary data for the research. Primary data was collected from 110 respondents from different rural areas of Jaipur district through structured questionnaire and interview method with gram panchayats officials. The main source of secondary data was Panchayati Raj & Rural Development and official website of Ministry of Panchayati Raj & Rural Development of India and also Rajasthan. The collected data is analyzed using the percentage method. The expected result has helped to improve the planning and implementation of various programs in related areas by Panchayati Raj institutions.