Who’s afraid of transparency?

Posted online: Friday, December 14, 2007 at 0000 hrs IST on www.indianexpress.com

Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey

On December 6, Vakta Ram, 28, an activist with the Rozgar Evam Suchana Adhikar Abhiyan, went to the block office in Kushalgarh in Rajasthan’s Banswara district, to ask for copies of records of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act expenditure in the block, for conducting a social audit. He had a letter from the district administration authorising him to do this. When the BDO sent him off to get the letter photocopied, two men set upon him, and beat him and abused him. The issue was clearly the fear of the audit. The beating continued in the full view of the block office staff. The two men were soon joined by eight others on motorcycles. They dragged Vakta Ram through the market — beating, slapping and kicking him on the way. They warned him, that he had to either learn a lesson or worse was in store. He was finally rescued by a sarpanch who told him to get away, for his life was in danger.
Recalling this the next day, Vakta Ram observed that he was not upset about being beaten up. In fact, he felt proud of being beaten up for doing the right thing. He is one of the hundreds who have come spending their money and time to tribal Banswara, to conduct a social audit of the NREGA works. For the many critics of the NREGA who had alleged that corruption alone would grow out of the process, there could not be a better answer than the social audits happening all over the country. This process fosters social responsibility and accountability since it allows people to monitor government funds being spent in their areas.
The cynicism arises from the failure of the elite to do anything about the rampant corruption in their lives or in the policies that they formulate. Their own failure to curb corruption has become an excuse to rubbish any scheme for the poor, claiming that it’s just an expensive gravy train. If they were to spare one day for a padayatra anywhere, it would open their eyes to the importance of minimum wage employment to people on these work sites. They would know how the money earned goes towards buying food, ensuring access to health, education — even productive investments. They would understand why this meagre entitlement has become a beacon of hope. But, most of all, these critics would probably see the determination of the people to fight corruption and pilferage, even at the risk of their own lives. The NREGA has demonstrated all over India that the rural poor are willing to mobilise on it and fight to protect it. These, indeed, are lessons on basic democratic action for the ‘other’ India.
The most encouraging aspects of vigilance efforts like social audits, have been the coming together of motivated people from all walks of life in a campaign mode. It stimulates and sustains democratic action in a manner not seen in a long time. In neighbouring Dungarpur district, in April 2006, almost a thousand people came together to walk through the district looking at every work, walking through every panchayat, sleeping, eating in people’s homes, and being a part of a mass public audit. This innovative padyatra was instrumental in ensuring that Dungarpur became one of the leading NREGA districts, with employment generation on an unprecedented scale (nearly 100 days per rural household in 2006-7), and little evidence of any substantial embezzlement. At that time, many felt that this was a flash in the pan. Since then, however, the number of such campaigns has increased, and the reports seem to show an implementation picture that is improving by the day. Mass social audits have been conducted around the country — in Ranchi (Jharkhand), Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh), Villupuram (Tamil Nadu), Kalahandi (Orissa), Ananthapur (Andhra Pradesh), to cite a few. Each of these experiences have shown the power of social audits not only in preventing corruption but also, in fostering people’s participation in the entire process.
Many in the political class unfortunately do not realise the power that lies in the social audit, stuck as they are in the paradigm of feudal handouts and controls, rather than rights. They do not understand that the power to mobilise people to demand work, create meaningful assets, earn the full minimum wage, and fight exploitation, will eventually count in the elections they so desperately want to win. Instead, they seem to be frozen in an unimaginative trap, where they can only see the NREGA in terms of money to be skimmed off, and intermediaries as vote bank managers who need to be protected.
In Banswara, Rajasthan’s ruling party has been joined by opposition leaders in trying to fight the social audit. The sarpanches, pradhans, zilla pramukhs and MLAs, have been shouting slogans, leading rallies, sitting on dharna against providing information and holding audits. The minister and CM, who are responsible for ensuring the rule of law and the implementation of pro-poor programmes, have actually made assurances in support of those who are against social audits being held!
One wonders whether any politician really understands the lesson that people like Vakta Ram offer. The weeks ahead will tell.

Roy is a Magsaysay awardee. Both she and Dey are Rajasthan-based social activists mkssrajasthan@gmail.com