Jan Sunwai (जन सुनवाई)
Jan Sunwai or Public Hearing is a process by which people who may be affected by a particular action or decision have the opportunity to ask questions, make submissions or register objections to a panel of experts. The panel may comprise of elected representatives, government officials, non-government organizations, experts from the field, media, etc.
It is a formal meeting designed to provide the public with an opportunity to express their support or opposition for any project or scheme in an open forum. Such hearings are especially useful for people living in rural areas and small towns. It gives them a platform to voice their concerns and provides for speedy justice and instant resolution.
Samarthan uses this tool to the fullest in providing the voice to the voiceless in small towns of Madhya Pradesh. We have conducted several public hearings in these towns to improve the implementation of various social security schemes. Through public hearings, numerous eligible candidates who were denied the benefits of these schemes were able to submit their applications and got approval instantly. The process also helped the administration to find poor and vulnerable citizens who were left out of the social safety net.
The whole process of public hearing comprises of three stages. It begins with a door-to-door survey of the poorest and needy families in the backward areas of the town. Based on the survey a report on various issues in the implementation of these schemes is prepared for the the public hearing. During the public hearing, citizens are invited to voice their grievances in front of the panel comprising of the chief municipal officer, elected representatives, senior journalists and citizen leaders. Grievances raised during the public hearing are resolved immediately and decisions are taken for other issues raised by the public. After the public hearing a follow-up of decisions taken is done to ensure the implementation of these decisions.
| Number of families who received benefits at public hearing | |
| Rewa | 71 |
| Jabalpur | 65 |
| Hatta | 69 |
| Lakhnadon | 102 |
| Panna | 20 |
| Dhar | 94 |
| Bhind | 40 |
| Total | 461 |
Key Outcomes:
1. 178 people got arrears of Rs. 550 each in Hatta town
2. 3000 fresh applications were filed for availing the benefits of social security schemes
3. 809 beneficiaries got their pension amount raised
4. Systematic and separate registers are being maintained at various urban bodies and receipts are also being given to applicants
Samarthan Organizes Public Hearing for Issues Emerging in Social Audit of the MGNREGS
Samarthan successfully organised a state-level Public Hearing on the issues emerging from the mandatory social audits we had facilitated in 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh. Held on 22nd January 2013 at Gandhi Bhawan, Bhopal, the Public Hearing managed to draw almost 150 beneficiaries and Panchayat representatives from 10 villages. In keeping with its commitment to strengthen the [...]
Sarpanches, Secretaries Evade Social Audit in 15th August Gram Sabhas
In Sehore, a district which has been blazing the trail for effective implementation of Panchayati Raj in the state, Sarpanches and Secretaries demonstrated disinclination towards Social Audit on MGNREGA in the 15th August Gram Sabha. Despite this reluctance, wherever Social Audits were conducted, a number of problems being faced by the laborers were highlighted and [...]
Jansunwai of PDS implementation at Raipur
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सामाजिक सुरक्षा योजनाओं का सामाजिक अंकेक्षण- Datia
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Social Audit on Social Security Schemes- Panna
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Enhancing Transparency in NREGS through Social Audits
In the 10 Gram Panchayats of Sehore and Panna, budgets were tracked bottom- up and top- down to understand the blockages and leakages in the process. The Panchayat and Janpad budget and expenditure details were verifies against data available on ground – beneficiary details, muster rolls, job cards etc. The Social Audit of NREGS [...]
Social Audit on NREGA
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