Social audit, mandated under MGNREGA and promoted for other schemes, derives its legal basis from which provision?
- Article 32 of Constitution
- Section 17 of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 2005
- Right to Information Act, 2005
- All of the above
Answer: Section 17 of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 2005
Social audit legal framework: (a) MGNREGA Section 17: Mandates social audit of all projects by Gram Sabha — legal basis for participatory monitoring, (b) Process: (i) Public disclosure of scheme records (muster rolls, expenditure, beneficiary lists), (ii) Gram Sabha meeting: Community verifies records, raises queries, (iii) Action on findings: Recovery of misused funds, disciplinary action, systemic improvements, (c) Complementary provisions: (i) RTI Act enables access to records for audit, (ii) Article 32/226 enables judicial enforcement if social audit findings ignored, (d) Expansion: Social audit principles extended to NFSA, PMAY, health schemes through policy directives, (e) Impact: Empowers citizens to monitor implementation, detect corruption, ensure accountability; challenges include capacity building, political interference, follow-up on findings. Illustrates participatory governance: legal mandate enabling citizen oversight of public programs.