NREGA: Rajasthan Govt, activists on collision course over social audit

The Rajasthan Government is on a collision course with social activists led by Aruna Roy...

The Rajasthan Government is on a collision course with social activists led by Aruna Roy over the issue of conducting social audit of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act NREGA in Banswara district. First the Government invited them and then left them high and dry. In the end, the activists were allegedly beaten up when they demanded information under the Act.

Part of the reason could be the fact that the next stop in the planned social audit was Jhalawar district. The change in Government stance could have been prompted by the fact of this being an election year.

8220;There has been a complete turnaround. We were actually invited by the Government to conduct these audits. Now, when it is becoming politically inconvenient, they want to stop it. The Government of Rajasthan is no longer committed to transparency,8221; said Aruna Roy.

The Rozgar Evum Suchana Ka Adhikar Abhiyan headed by Roy had planned a mass social audit of NREGA works in the district from December 10, 2007 in collaboration with the state and district administration. The Secretary, Rural Development, issued a letter asking the district authorities to cooperate. Within days, the Government had a change of heart and another Government Order was issued saying no information be made to those groups wanting to conduct social audits.

8220;We cannot have anarchy in these social audits. Under the Act, it is the gram sabha that is empowered to conduct these and not some third party, unilaterally,8221; said Rural Development Secretary Rohit Singh.

Roy thinks this is interpreting the law in the narrowest terms. Nowhere does the Government initiate these audits believed to be a powerful instrument in ensuring transparency and exposing corruption. It is a detailed exercise where each and every muster roll checked and work on the ground verified.

The same body had conducted social audit in Dungarpur in 2005, where the state Government not just cooperated but also participated actively. The Government helped provide information, provided official support to the organising of gram sabhas, and took action on the established cases of corruption brought to light during the audit.

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This time, when they activists came to Banswara, they were greeted with dharnas, rallies and even a writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court, as well as physical assault.

So far, Rajasthan, along with states like Andhra Pradesh, has been considered a pioneer of social audit. Banswara itself was announced as a model social audit district. 8220;This seems to be changing in Rajasthan in the face of mounting political pressure over the past few days. The Government used all these as a smokescreen to withdraw transparency,8221; said Roy.

The Government denies this. 8220;We are the first state to prepare a social audit manual and are training people to ask the right questions. It is being done with the help of these civil society groups,8221; said Singh.

To carry on the work of social audit, they have appointed a social audit forum. The civil society sees this 8220;Government controlled8221; exercise as a mere formality.