Port Blair, April 24: The Directorate of RD, PRIs & ULBs, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Port Blair in coordination with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), Hyderabad organised a training programme for Community Resource Persons/Active Self Help Group (SHG) members to be engaged as Social Auditors under MGNREGA. The training was conducted in two batches of 40 participants from all the Gram Panchayats and Tribal Councils of A&N Islands. The 1st batch of training was held from 04th April, 2022 to 08th April, 2022 and the 2nd batch held from 18th April, 2022 to 22nd April, 2022.
Dr. Srinivas Sajja, Assistant Professor (CSA), NIRDPR, Dr.Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Assistant Professor (CSA), NIRDPR, Shri. R. Shashidhar, Training Manager, NIRDPR and Shri. Gurjeet Singh, Director, Social Audit Unit, Jharkand imparted training to participants.
Social Audit is a process for ensuring the accountability and transparency in which the details of financial and non-financial resources used in the implementation of development projects/programme and their objectives are shared with the villagers and then villagers examine these details, verify, seek clarifications and convey their options including suggestions for corrective actions and improvements to the Gram Panchayat/other Implementing Agency. The Ministry of Rural Development, GoI had issued directions to engage Village Resource Persons to conduct Social Audit in all Gram Panchayats and Tribal Councils to this UT under MGNREGA and accordingly the Rural Development Department planned to get the Community Resource Persons/Active Self Help Group (SHG) members trained work as Social Auditors under MGNREGA
The theoretical session of the training was held in the training hall of Directorate of RD, PRIs & ULBs and later practical was done in two Gram Panchayats namely Beodnabad and Mithakhari. Finally, the Demo Social Audit was conducted in Beodnabad and Mithakhari Gram Panchayats and the reports were submitted in Gram Sabhas of respective Gram Panchayats.
In the closing ceremony of the Training programme, the Director (RD), Shri. Vinay Kumar Jindal interacted with the trainee SHG members and encouraged the ladies to conduct fair and effective Social Audit under MGNREGA across the Islands. He assured to provide all necessary support to the SHG members who will work as Social Auditors for MGNREGA scheme.
The Secretary (RD), Shri. Suneel Anchipaka, IAS has approved to set up Social Audit Unit under the Rural Development Department which will be headed by the Ombudsman engaged under the MGNREGA scheme. He has directed to gradually extend the coverage of Social Audit over all the RD schemes and programmes in order to have check on any kind of malpractices under the RD schemes and to have proper implementation of the schemes.