Social Audit and Its Impact on Planning and Implementation of NREGS: An Empirical Study among the Tribal Community of Telangana

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/11/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 6 (2026)

Article No.

084

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-WNUUU3QQ

Received

31 Oct 2026

Views

29

Downloads

12

Abstract

Social audit is an important instrument of community-based governance that enables rural communities to examine public expenditure, verify employment records, monitor the quality of public works, and hold implementing authorities accountable. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), established under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, aims to strengthen livelihood security through guaranteed wage employment and the creation of productive rural assets. For tribal communities, effective implementation of the programme can be especially important because access to employment, information, and public institutions influences their ability to benefit from rural development initiatives. This study examines the impact of social audit on the planning and implementation of NREGS among 120 tribal respondents in Nandanaik Thanda, Geesugonda Mandal, Telangana. It examines awareness of social audit, participation in Gram Sabha meetings, involvement in selecting public works, transparency in wage payments, verification of employment records, worksite monitoring, and grievance redressal. A Chi-Square analysis shows that active Gram Sabha participation is significantly associated with perceived influence over the selection of public works; the statistic is 12.857, with a p-value of 0.003. Hence, the null hypothesis was rejected.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.