Union Minister Giriraj Singh to address national seminar on Social Audit of Rural Development Programmes on Sept 26

New Delhi [India], September 23 : Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh is set to address the second national seminar on "Social Audit of Rural Development Programmes" on September 26.
The event, hosted at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, will revolve around the theme "Re-imagining Social Audit with a view to bring transparency and accountability", read the Ministry of Rural Development press release.
Joining Giriraj Singh at this seminar are dignitaries including Union Minister of States for Rural Development and Steel, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, and Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Kapil Moreshwar Patil.
Several key officials, including Secretary Department of Rural Development, Shailesh Kumar Singh, and Joint Secretary (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), Amit Kataria, will also grace the occasion.
Senior officers representing all State/UT Governments will be in attendance.
This seminar aims to foster discussions and knowledge-sharing on Social Audit of Rural Development Programmes, drawing insights and experiences from experts and officials across various states, read the press release.
 It's a unique platform where directors of Social Audit Units from States/UTs, State Resource Persons (SRP), District Resource Persons (DRP), and Block Resource Persons (BRP) of the State's Social Audit Team will come together to enrich the discussions with their on-ground experiences, read the press release.
Best practices shared during the event can serve as models for others to emulate.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) empowers Gram Sabhas with the right to conduct regular social audits of all works and expenditures.
This mandate includes facilitating the social audit through independent Social Audit Units, providing complete access to all records, both online and offline, and ensuring pro-active disclosure through wall writings.
Notably, Mahatma Gandhi NREGA was the first act to mandate Social Audits conducted by the Gram Sabhas for all projects undertaken in the Gram Panchayat. Over time, this practice has been extended to numerous other schemes, read the press release.
The Central Government, in collaboration with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG), established the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Audit of Schemes Rules, 2011.
These rules laid down the methodology and principles for conducting social audits in the States/ Union Territories (UT). Presently, 28 States/UTs have established Social Audit Units, and constant efforts are made to recruit and train essential core staff at the State, District, and Block levels, read the press release.
Following the success of the first National Seminar in November 2019, where Social Audit was extended to other major schemes administered by the Department of Rural Development, it is now essential to evaluate the status of Social Audit implementation in the States/UTs and formulate a roadmap to re-imagine Social Audit, with the ultimate goal of enhancing transparency and accountability.
In this regard, the Department of Rural Development is hosting the 2nd National Seminar on September 26.