Exercise meant to make the delivery system more accountable
Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD: What makes the post-matric students’ scholarships roost for almost a year before they reach the beneficiaries while all government employees get paid immediately on the next day of the budget? The question by Principal Secretary of Social Welfare V. Nagi Reddy was not as much in anticipation of an answer, as it was to ignite inquisitiveness in the young social auditors.
MAKING A POINT: A student delegate shares his views at the social audit on government programmes.
“Bills of both salaries and scholarships get cleared in the same budget. I was expecting you to demand the reason for the delay in disbursement of the latter,” he said at the Public Hearing of the Social Audit under the aegis of Backward Classes Welfare Department on Saturday.
Three colleges
It was conducted in three volunteering colleges — Sri Sarada Women’s Degree College, Nalla Mall Reddy College of Engineering and Mahbubia Junior College for Girls. Students took active part in the audit with support from a non-governmental organisation CARPED. Questions about delay in release of instalments to colleges and their laxity in turn, difference in scholarship amounts from student to student, new mode of reimbursement of tuition fee, physical verification of certificates, delay in submission of acquaintance registers, and others were raised.
Director of BC Welfare K. Sunitha said the social audit concept was adopted from Department of Rural Development after instances of misappropriation surfaced in Mahabubnagar and Medak districts.
The exercise was meant to make the delivery system more accountable and 35 students from the three colleges underwent a three-day training programme conducted by the Centre for Good Governance in audit preparation.
source : The Hindu, 22 Sep 2008
http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/22/stories/2008092259170400.htm
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