In India it has become the norm to set up institutions that ultimately wither and become mere secretariats that employ people and pay salaries. Not much is done to address the very reason for which the institution was formed. In Meghalaya, pressure groups demand all manner of institutions to be set up, which they profess will address governance gaps and human rights violations. Once these institutions are up and functioning these groups fail to follow up on the efficacy of the institutions created. The State Human Rights Commission is one of those; the State Women’s Commission is another. But the one institution that needs to function with absolute robustness is the Meghalaya Society for Social Audit and Transparency (MSSAT) which was set up in 2013.
In Meghalaya the scope of the Act is vast. It is supposed to audit the function of several departments such as Education (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Midday Meal), Health (to monitor immunisation, services in Sub-Centres, Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres), Power sector (to ensure that Village Power Committees are formed to audit the functioning of MeECL). In the Forest and Environment sector, the Society is to audit the Joint Forest Management Committees. In Water and Sanitation to audit the quality and quantity of water supply and the services of the PHE Department and the Swacch Bharat Mission. Insofar as Road and Transport is concerned the Society is to audit the functioning of the PWD and the PMGSY scheme.
The Society also has the brief of auditing what is happening in Agriculture and Allied Activities. In Community and Rural Development the audit is on MNREGA, PMAY-G NSAP schemes. In ‘Securiy’ the Society is to audit the role of local police and village defence parties, in Food and Civil Supplies it is to ensure that the Public Distribution System (PDS) is functioning well and people are getting their rations regularly. In the Social Welfare Department the Society is to audit the functioning of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). The functioning of the Border Area Development Programmes also come under the purview of the Society.The Act states that the State Social Audit Council under the MSSAT is to be headed by an ‘eminent individual’ with experience in the development sector who will serve as the Chairperson while representatives from the Districts and line departments, local villagers and individuals from civil society organisations (CSO) are members of the Society. Nothing has been heard of the functioning of the State Social Audit Council. From all accounts this Council is all but defunct although a lot of work seemed to have gone into defining its agenda. This Council falls flat when the organisational structure (organogram) suggests that the Chief Minister is at the top of the ladder and the Chairperson of the Society is ultimately accountable to the CM. It is astounding how institutions are subverted to serve vested interests and not in the public interest and to bring transparency and accountability.
