Information-Monitoring, Evaluation, and Social Audit (I-MESA): Social Audit

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (D/oSJE) sends a letter to the Social Audit Units (SAUs) detailing the audit protocols, processes, targets, and the specific list of institutions or villages to be social audited for the financial y…

Online The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (D/oSJE) sends a letter to the Social Audit Units (SAUs) detailing the audit protocols, processes, targets, and the specific list of institutions or villages to be social audited for the financial year. The SAUs are responsible for forming the Social Justice Cell (SJC) by selecting resource persons and must finalize the calendar, target, and budget for the entire social audit process. The implementing agency must arrange to proactively provide all necessary documents and information related to the scheme to the Social Audit teams 15 days prior to the commencement of the field verification process. An Orientation or Entry Point Meeting must be held at the State or District level exactly 15 days before the actual social audit process begins in the field. This meeting is called by the social welfare department upon request from the SAU and serves to apprise institution heads and department officials of the social audit's objective and process. Representatives of the SAU will orient participants on the audit parameters, the target villages or institutions, the documents needed for verification, and the proposed Social Justice Assembly dates. The Social Audit team conducts extensive field verification, which comprises three types: verification of records, verification of worksites/infrastructure, and verification of beneficiaries through interaction. The team conducts personal interviews and focus group discussions with beneficiaries, staff, and stakeholders to check the ground reality against official records and assess the quality of services/facilities. Based on the findings and observations gathered during the verification process, the Social Audit team prepares a draft report in a prescribed format, ensuring it is backed by evidence and written in the local language. A Validation meeting (Beneficiary Sabha or Gram Sabha) is conducted at the village/institutional level, where the social audit team reads out the draft report findings for discussion and confirmation by primary stakeholders. This meeting serves as a collective platform for beneficiaries to raise issues concerning them, obtain further information, and receive responses from persons involved in scheme implementation. The final validated Social Audit report is then presented at the Social Justice Assembly, conducted at the district level in the mandatory presence of concerned department representatives, for examination and decision-making by a constituted panel. The Social Audit Unit prepares the proceedings detailing the decisions taken during the District Social Justice Assembly and forwards this documentation to all concerned Departments and Institutions within 7 days. The concerned departments and institutions must ensure they submit the Action Taken Report (ATR) based on the panel's decisions to the social welfare department and the SAU within 15 days. The implementing department/institution is mandated to upload the complete Action Taken Report onto the Management Information System (MIS) designed for social audit within 30 days of the conclusion of the District Social Justice Assembly.