GK Question

polity hard mcq

Despite MGNREGA mandating social audit, implementation challenges include all EXCEPT:

  1. Political interference in audit process
  2. Capacity gaps in Gram Sabhas for effective auditing
  3. Lack of legal mandate for social audit
  4. Weak follow-up on audit findings

Answer: Lack of legal mandate for social audit

Social audit implementation challenges: (a) Legal mandate exists: MGNREGA Section 17 mandates social audit; extended to other schemes via policy directives, (b) Actual challenges: (i) Political interference: Local elites influence audit process, suppress findings, (ii) Capacity gaps: Gram Sabha members lack training in audit techniques, financial literacy, (iii) Weak follow-up: Audit findings not acted upon; no accountability for officials, (iv) Resource constraints: Lack of funds, staff for audit support, (v) Awareness gaps: Beneficiaries unaware of social audit process, rights, (c) Mitigation strategies: (i) Training programs for Gram Sabha members, (ii) Independent facilitators for audit process, (iii) Mandatory action-taken reports on findings, (iv) Integration with RTI for transparency, (d) Impact: Where implemented well, social audit reduces corruption, improves service delivery; illustrates gap between legal mandate and ground reality. Illustrates governance reform complexity: legal provisions require institutional capacity, political will, citizen empowerment for effective implementation.

Topic Governance Reforms - Social Audit Challenges
Exam Relevance Social audit implementation challenges critical for UPSC Mains and advanced SSC exams