Assam trains 42 social audit resource persons to improve accountability in welfare schemes

The Assam Society for Social Audit (ASSA), in collaboration with the Golap Barbara State Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development (GB-SIPRD), has trained 42 state- and district-level resource persons to improve the quality of social audits, strengthen documentation and ensure better follow-up of audit findings across the state.

The two-day state-level capacity-building workshop on Quality Social Audit was held at GB-SIPRD, Kahikuchi, Guwahati, on October 12 and 13.

Addressing the valedictory session, Dr B. Kalyan Chakravarthy, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, stressed the role of quality social audits in strengthening transparency, accountability and public trust in government programmes.

He urged the resource persons to ensure that audit findings lead to appropriate corrective action and that the benefits of government schemes reach their intended beneficiaries.

Dr Arup Jyoti Kalita, Director of ASSA, called for a shift from routine compliance-based exercises to evidence-based and outcome-oriented social audits. He highlighted the role of trained resource persons in connecting communities with the administrative system and ensuring that audit reports accurately reflect ground realities.

The workshop covered quality reporting and documentation, detection of financial irregularities, community mobilisation, inclusive education and social audits of welfare schemes. Participants were also trained in the use of digital tools and platforms, including Management Information Systems (MIS), Kobo tools, dashboards, the Nirnay App and the Awas App.

Sessions further addressed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the preparation and monitoring of Action Taken Reports (ATRs), which track the follow-up measures taken in response to audit findings.

The sessions were conducted by Dr C. Dheeraja, Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), Hyderabad; Sumi Borthakur, State Programme Officer at Samagra Shiksha Assam; Kandarpa Kalita, Area Manager at CML-Tata Trust; and representatives of GB-SIPRD, the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, and ASSA's state team.

The programme concluded with an emphasis on standardised reporting, timely submission of audit findings and systematic monitoring of action taken by the concerned authorities.

ASSA also plans to develop a 100-day action plan focusing on social audits, compliance with ATR requirements and an assessment of the impact of social audits. The initiative aims to ensure that audit findings lead to measurable improvements in the implementation of government schemes and grassroots governance.

The capacity-building programme is expected to strengthen Assam's social audit framework by improving technical skills, expanding the use of digital tools and ensuring more effective follow-up of identified shortcomings.