Question

A rural works programme is proposed to be implemented in a village. The Gram Panchayat, which is to implement the scheme, is faction ridden and prone to corruption. Which one of the following measures will you recommend to tackle these problems that are likely to arise in implementing the programme?

• A. Create a heavy official supervisory system to oversee the programme implementation.
• B. Warn Panchayat that strong action will be taken if irregularities are found in implementation.
• C. Make no moves but wait for irregularities to occur before taking any action.
• D. Set up a social audit mechanism with knowledgeable individuals and civil service organizations.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Set up a social audit mechanism with knowledgeable individuals and civil service organizations.

Problem with (a) is that a formidable supervisory mechanism of bureaucracy kills initiatives and imaginativeness in implementation. Bureaucracy believes in standardization and does not take into account subtle differences in physical situation and human configuration that exist in different villages and influences the outcome of the programmes. This is one reason why many development programmes do not yield optimum result in most of the places.
Warning the panchayat is fine but not sufficient. Warnings are often forgotten. Continuous monitoring is more important than conveying one-time warning and then letting it off and later waking up only after the implementation is complete. By that time, much harm would have been done as it is a corruption prone village, and an opportunity do good work would have been lost. Answer choice (c) is simply the laziest bureaucrat’s prescription.
Answer choice (d) gives the correct approach. A social audit mechanism is likely to be more thorough because by virtue of intricate social contacts, the network captures much more relevant information than bureaucracy could do. Social auditors do generally have higher motivation to bring forth some positive result for the residents of the village than an impersonal taluka bureaucracy.