BHUBANESWAR:The Odisha Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency (OSSAAT), an independent unit to conduct social audit of projects executed under MGNREGS, will audit several other programmes including Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).This was decided at the first Governing Body meeting of the society held under chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi here on Tuesday.
Padhi directed different departments to get their social audit done through OSSAAT. The meeting decided that the society will conduct social audit of other programmes like PMGSY, rural housing, livelihood mission, and construction workers welfare fund as per the prescribed time limit for respective projects.
It was decided that OSSAAT would be vested with sufficient autonomy and would operate independently of general government system for making the social audit meaningful and effective.
“The main objective of OSSAAT is to create enabling environment for the Gram Sabha and Palli Sabha to conduct impartial and effective social audits for the development schemes and programmes in its territory,” said Panchayati Raj Secretary DK Singh.Though OSSAAT was constituted in 2012, its social audit activities were expanded to all the districts during 2017-18. Social audit of MGNREGS works have been completed in 5,984 out of 6,801 gram panchayats, said Director, Special Projects, SN Girish.
OSSAAT director BK Das said 349 social auditors have been trained in a 30-day duration certificate course on Social Accountability and Social Audit designed by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Besides, 7,368 out of a total 12,845 village resource persons (VRPs) have been trained.
The society which is functioning as a separate directorate is located in the campus of the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), Bhubaneswar. The director of the society is assisted by independent social audit experts (SAEs) and accounts officers (AOs) .
The governing body of the society is assisted by an executive committee headed by Panchayati Raj Secretary.At the district level, independent district social auditors have been engaged while at the block level, block social auditors have been selected from the local civil society organisations. At village level, members from Women SHGs have been involved as VRPs.