Fwd: [ReachIndia] JJA, Bihar: Invitation to Social Audit in Araria and call for volunteers

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Somu Kumar <somukumar@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 10:31 PM
Subject: [ReachIndia] JJA, Bihar: Invitation to Social Audit in Araria and call for volunteers
To: Reach India <ReachIndia@lists.aidindia.org>

Dear All,

AID saathis Kamayani and Ashish are working in Bihar and are part of Jan Jagaran Abhiyaan and AID-Patna. Please support JJA's work by becoming a volunteer or by donating - contact Ashish for more information (09973363664). 

More on JJA: http://www.jjabihar.org/

Jan Jagaran Abhiyaan (JJA) is a people's organization working in rural Bihar.Today its an uphill task for people to even submit a job application under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). Many other entitlements provided by the government do not reach people and causes millions to live under abject poverty. JJA mobilizes rural poor to demand better services from the government and to get the existing entitlements as laid down by the government. JJA aims to bring about a larger change in the lives of rural poor by means of "sangharsh" (struggle) and "nirman" (constructive activities). 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ashish ranjan <ashish.ranjanjha@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 7:21 AM
Subject: Invitation to Social Audit in Araria and call for volunteers

Dear friends,

Jan Jagran Abhiyan & the Araria district administration are jointly conducting a Social Audit of NREGA works in 8 different blocks of araria (one panchayat in each block) over a period of two and half months. The programme details and the background note are given below.

We need volunteers for these audits. We would appreciate your presence in one or more audits. It would also be a good opportunity for organizations to learn about the entire social audit process.

Thank You,

Jan Jagaran Shakti Sangathan, Bihar (formerly Jan Jagaran Abhiyan)

(www.jjabihar.org)

ph: Ashish (09973363664), Kamayani (09771950248), Ranjit (09771899407) 

Programme Details:

Audit No.	block	Dates
1	Jokihat	6-13th may
2	palasi	16-22nd may
3	sikti	25th-31st may
4	kursakata	3rd-9th june
5	raniganj	14th-20th june
6	forbesganj	23rd-29th june
7	narpatgang	2nd-8th july
8	bhargama	12th-18th july

Way to reach Araria: Araria is connected to Delhi, Calcutta and Patna by rail. Buses also ply from Patna to Araria every evening (6PM). Please call us at 9973363664 if you wish to participate in the audit. We will provide basic accommodation and food. 

Background Note (extract taken from "background note" sent by Rozgar evum soochna ka adhikar abhiyan, Rajasthan):

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), 2005 has been in effect in rural districts across the country since April 2008. The Act guarantees every rural household 100 days a year of manual work at minimum wages within a five kilometer radius. A failure to provide work gives the applicant a right to draw an unemployment allowance.  A failure to receive wages within 15 days entitles the worker to receive compensation for late payment of wages.

While the poor in the country have received the law with much enthusiasm and hope, many questions have been raised about its actual implementation. It is widely acknowledged that implementation has been uneven. While it is now accepted that the law is here to stay, many critics continue to demand basic changes in the framework of the law. Apart from these questions and issues that vary across state and region, there is a consistent and pervasive concern about corruption, and the capacity of the State to deliver on the acts basic requirements.

The experience of implementation of the law over the last three and a half years has shown that people's involvement is crucial to the better implementation of the law and peoples ability to access their entitlements. Social Audit has become an important means through which people can get involved in the planning, execution monitoring of various aspects of the law. Despite it becoming a buzz word, the experience with social audit has been mixed. In some cases it has even been used by implementing agencies and vested interests, as a means of certifying substandard work by only paying lip service to social audit. In other cases however, people's organizations have evolved innovative approaches to social audit, making it an effective means of people's empowerment.

While Jan Sunwais and public audits continue to evolve through various innovative means, social audits are being seen as a unique and challenging attempt to institutionalize peoples monitoring. Such an exercise requires the coming together of government, and citizens groups to ensure that people can regularly audit works that take place in their own area.  

In this joint effort to give real shape to transparency and accountability by government and citizens groups, there are particular spheres of responsibility. The government has a responsibility to ensure that social audits are carried out in all panchayats every six months. As a part of this responsibility, the government has to facilitate: A) the provision of all relevant information in a form that people can comprehend and respond to, with sufficient time to analyze the information and formulate a response B) provide a platform where people can receive this information and provide their reactions/ responses/ feedback without fear, and C) Take action on the statements of the people. Citizens, and citizens groups, need to ensure that the government meets these commitments, and people are encouraged, persuaded, and mobilized to participate in the social audit process.

Andhra Pradesh is the only state government that has managed to institutionalise social audits as a regular process. It is important to ensure that social audit becomes a reality in all states, where it takes shape as a mode for peoples monitoring and empowerment and does not get co-opted by vested interests.

Bihar Context:

Bihar figures at the lowest rung of almost all development indices in the country and has a large number of migrant workers. In this context NREGA holds a special promise for the rural poor.  However Bihar has fared poorly in the implementation of the NREGA and there is a lot of criticism about corruption and usefulness of the assets created. The mandatory social audits (SA) has been mostly taking place on paper and the involvement of people has been minimal. In cases where it has been conducted the efficacy of the exercise is questionable as the basic social audit processes have not been followed and there has been no involvement of local population.

--
www.jjabihar.org

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