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1ST MEETING OF SOCIAL AUDIT ADVISORY BODY

1ST MEETING OF SOCIAL AUDIT ADVISORY BODY

29-01-2024

On 18th January, 2024 the 1ST Meeting the Social Audit Advisory Body (SAAB) was held at New Delhi.

What is SAAB?

  1. Purpose: SAAB has been established to guide the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in institutionalizing social audits for its various schemes.
  2. Membership:
  1. Representatives from key ministries and academic institutions are part of SAAB.
  2. Notable members include the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Department of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Women and Child Development, and others.
  1. SAAB Input and Recommendations:
  1. Members of SAAB provided valuable inputs to strengthen the social audit process.
  2. Emphasis on aligning social audits more closely with the principles of social justice.

What is Social Audit?

  1. Social Audit is the process of openly sharing details about the financial and non-financial resources utilized by public agencies for development initiatives.
  2. It involves presenting this information to the public, enabling individuals to actively ensure accountability and transparency.

Types of Social Audit

Type of Social Audit

Scope

Purpose

Organisational Social Audit

Comprehensive assessment of the company's social responsibility efforts.

Provides a holistic view of the company's commitment to social responsibility across its operations.

Program-Specific Social Audit

Concentrates on a specific program or initiative within an organization.

Offers insights into the success and areas for improvement of individual programs, contributing to enhancements.

Financial Social Audit

Reviews the social and environmental implications of financial decisions.

Aims to align financial decisions with socially responsible practices and assess the overall impact on the community and environment.

Stakeholder-Driven Social Audit

Involves various stakeholders in the auditing process.

Facilitates a more inclusive and participatory audit, ensuring diverse perspectives are considered, and stakeholders have a voice in assessing social impacts.

Why there is need of Social Audit?

  1. There has been investment of thousands of crores of rupees, in social development programs by the government since independence.
  2. The investments have not been justified by the impact they have made on ground level.
  3. There is huge gap between the desired impact and the actual impact.

How Social Audits are effective governance tools?

  1. Transparency and Accountability: Social audits act as a mechanism to bring transparency to allocated  resources in social development program
  2. Public Scrutiny and Involvement: Social audits provide a public platform for the community to scrutinize the outcomes of development initiatives.
  3. Identifying Root Causes: Social audits involve an inclusive examination of root causes behind the gap between investments and impact.
  4. Community Empowerment: Through social audits, communities become active participants in the evaluation of social development programs.
  5. Learning from Failures: Social audits serve as a learning tool by uncovering failures and shortcomings in program implementation.
  6. Strengthening Stakeholder Collaboration: Social audits foster collaboration between government officials, experts, and the public.

Social Audit in India

  1. National Resource Cell for Social Audit (NRCSA): Established by Department of Social Justice and Empowerment to ensure social audits through dedicated Social Audit Units at the state level.
  2. Social Audit in Gram Sabha: The Social Audit Report (SAR) is prepared by CAG in local language based on their findings. It is presented to the Gram Sabha.
  3. Social Audit in MGNREGA: Section 17 of the MGNREGA has mandated Social audit of all works executed under the MGNREGA.

Challenges and potential solutions related to social audit in India

Challenges

Solutions

Limited awareness among the general public about the concept of social audit
  1. Conduct extensive awareness campaigns through various media channels
  2. Engage community leaders to encourage participation.

Insufficient training and capacity-building programs for stakeholders involved in social audits.
  1. Invest in training programs for auditors, local government officials, and community members
  2. Enhance skills and understanding of the social audit process.

The potential for political pressure and interference in the social audit process.
  1. Establish an independent and transparent social audit framework
  2. Safeguard against political interference, ensuring autonomy in the audit process.

Inadequate systems for collecting, managing, and disseminating audit-related information.
  1. Develop robust data management systems, including online platforms
  2. Facilitate easy access to audit reports and related information for the public.

Limited legal provisions and enforcement mechanisms for social audit processes.
  1. Advocate for and implement stronger legal frameworks supporting social audits
  2. Ensure clear penalties for non-compliance and violations.

Conclusion

The inaugural meeting of the Social Audit Advisory Body (SAAB) marked a significant step towards institutionalizing social audits for various government schemes in India. SAAB, comprising representatives from key ministries and academic institutions, plays a pivotal role in guiding the Ministry in this endeavor.

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