A two-day national convention on social audit was held here on Friday. Inaugurated by chief minister, Mukul Sangma, the convention was organized by the Meghalaya programme implementation and evaluation department with reference to the Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Grievances Social Audit Act, 2017.
Addressing the participants including eminent social activists who came from outside the state, Mukul said, the exercise on social audit was rolled out in 2007 in respect of development schemes under MGNREGA.
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Stating that the government has many programmes and interventions to take care of the dreams and aspirations of the people, and deal with disparity in respect of socio-economic, Mukul said that things did not happen on the ground as intended.
He said that the legislative mandate for social auditing in Meghalaya would enable the state to have a complete exercise of auditing by involving all stakeholders and have an immediate course correction.
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Meghalaya government has become the first state in the country to pass a social audit legislation that will allow citizens’ participation in the planning of development, selection of beneficiaries, concurrent monitoring of programmes, redress of grievances and audit of works, services and programmes on an annual basis.
The convention that will conclude on Saturday, saw the participation of Meghalaya State Social Audit Council chairman, Toki Blah, social activists, and officers, besides eminent speakers which include founder member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and co-convenor of the National Peoples’ Right to Information, Nikhil Dey, National Federation of Indian Women president, Aruna Roy, and others.