TN sets benchmark in MGNREGA social audit transparency

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has set a benchmark in ensuring transparency in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which employs over 12 crore rural people across the country.

So far this financial year, the authorities in the state have mapped grama sabhas conducted in over 2,300 panchayats.

The exercise aims to digitalise the entire proceedings of the grama sabha meetings through the Panchayat NIRNAY portal. The portal was launched a year ago by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and came into effect from this financial year.

According to the Union Ministry, the authorities plan to map 2,54,980 panchayats out of a total of 2,69,230 across 34 states and union territories.

In the first quarter of the year, grama sabhas conducted in 4,463 panchayats across the country were uploaded. Of these, 2,304 were from Tamil Nadu, accounting for 18.4% of the state's 12,522 panchayats.

This was followed by Kerala, which captured proceedings in 166 panchayats, 17.64% of its total 941 panchayats.

Maharashtra, which has the highest number of panchayats at 28,292, has covered only 29 under this exercise.

In many states, the mapping performance ranges between 0% and 5% and the national average of mapping the grama sabha meetings is recorded as 1.66%.

"It will take a couple of more months for other states to catch up, but TN and Kerala are doing better in uploading the social audit proceedings with videos and photographs," said a source privy to the exercise.

The exercise is yet another step forward to improve social audit, an inbuilt mechanism against corrupt practice.

As per the MGNREG Act, the Centre allocates 0.5% of the total scheme funds specifically for social auditing. The process focuses on validating the work carried out under the scheme and identifying financial misappropriation in wages or deviations in its implementation.

Though the Union Government insists on conducting these audits, many states have failed to comply, resulting in widespread corruption.

"The Centre is now emphasising the need to upload short videos of grama sabha meetings to improve outcomes through social audit. It encourages MGNREGA workers to participate in large numbers. Photographs of the event, attendance details, and images of the resolutions passed during the grama sabha meetings must also be uploaded to the portal, which can be accessed by the general public at any time," said an official, preferring to remain anonymous.

Once uploaded, the data becomes part of an open-access source, allowing stakeholders to review audit information from any village panchayat across the country.

"It also helps build a digital record of every social audit conducted. This is yet another step towards achieving effective implementation of the scheme once all village panchayats are covered. But it will take a year or two to," the official added.