CAG lauds civil society's constructive role
Times of India, Jul 27, 2011
NEW DELHI: At a time when the government is locked in a pitched war of words with civil society groups on the contentious Lokpal Bill issue, its official auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has said that their engagement could help in effective administrative corrections at all levels.
Speaking at a seminar here on Tuesday, CAG Vinod Rai said in recent years there has been a rise in the number of civil society organizations that articulate public discontent. "It's essential to channelize this democratic upsurge into constructive channels," he added.
CAG felt social audit is one of the tools available to channelize the public criticism into effective administrative corrections. This can also solve practical problems of implementing socio-economic development scheme in rural India.
"It must, therefore, have systems and procedures that facilitate effective and transparent monitoring of the planning and implementation of social welfare programmes to reduce the possibilities of corrupt practices and waste of public money," Rai said.
CAG said the government should go for social audit of its people-friendly flagship programmes such as MNREGA, NRHM, SSA, etc. "There is no reason why their implementation is thus not evaluated or audited by the people," he said.
CAG has already started the practice of involving civil society groups in its social audit programmes. Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh, Rohini Nilekani of Arghayam and Anil Mehta of Jheel Samrakshan Sanity are some of the civil society representatives the official auditor had recently consulted for their expertise on water conservation. "We found this initiative very useful in framing our audit agenda and in formulating our approach to related issues," the CAG said.
He said social audit of welfare programmes and schemes, implemented currently on a mass scale, has been justifiably receiving close attention from the civil society, who have been orchestrating demands for more transparency at all levels in the administration along with enhanced public accountability from the implementing agencies.
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