Jamui's MGNREGA Social Audit: Performance Report 2024-25
A critical analysis of financial and operational metrics
Jamui’s MGNREGA Social Audit: Incomplete, Ineffective, and Against the Guidelines
By Pramod Pandey | Jamui, Bihar
I believe the government has failed to control the social audit process in Jamui under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The 2024–2025 Social Audit Report, released recently, clearly shows that many important guidelines were either ignored or only partially followed. The audit—which should empower villagers to question government spending—seems more like a formality than a genuine accountability tool.
In this blog, I’ll explain how the audit was conducted, what the numbers say, and how it fails to meet the official guidelines of MGNREGA and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
₹166.83 Cr
Total Rupees Spent
₹148.18 Cr
Total Rupees Audited (89%)
₹18.65 Cr
Money Left Unchecked
161,091
Total Workers Registered
56,913
Workers Met (35%)
31,051
Works Completed
1,809
Works Verified (6%)
152/153
Panchayats Audited
Avg. 80
Gram Sabha Attendance
What the Guidelines Say (And How Jamui Fails)
Comparing the audit findings with the official MGNREGA Operational Guidelines (Chapter 10: Social Audit) and CAG recommendations reveals significant deviations.
| Rule/Guideline | Required by Law | What Happened in Jamui | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Fund Audit | Yes | 89% of funds audited | ❌ |
| 100% Work Verification in 2 Years | Yes | 6% of works verified | ❌ |
| All Workers Should Be Met | Yes | Only 35% met | ❌ |
| Full GP Coverage | Yes | 1 Panchayat missing (Sikandra) | ❌ |
| Gram Sabha Mobilization | Yes | Very low turnout (avg. 80) | ⚠️ |
| Public Disclosure in Local Language | Yes | No report of public display | ❌ |
| Independent Audit Teams | Yes | Audit team independence unclear | ⚠️ |
Sources: MGNREGA Operational Guidelines, Ministry of Rural Development; CAG Performance Audit Reports; Social Audit Manual by MoRD.
Financial Accountability: Audit Coverage by Block
This chart compares the percentage of funds audited against the funds spent for each block. A higher percentage indicates stronger financial oversight. Barhat and Khaira demonstrate near-complete audit coverage, setting a high standard for transparency.
Worker Engagement Analysis by Block
Effective engagement is key to project success. This chart displays the total number of workers versus the number of workers actually met during evaluations. Gidhor and Islamnagar show the highest engagement rates, while others have significant room for improvement.
Operational Quality: Work Inspection Rates by Block
The percentage of works checked is a critical indicator of quality control. Gidhor leads significantly in this area, suggesting a robust inspection process. This chart ranks each block by their work-checking performance, highlighting disparities in quality assurance.
Overall Works Checked
Across all blocks, only 6.2% of the total 27,051 works were checked, indicating a potential system-wide gap in quality control procedures.
Holistic Performance Snapshot: Block Comparison
This radar chart provides a multi-dimensional view of each block's performance across the three key metrics: Audit %, Worker Met %, and Works Checked %. It helps identify blocks with balanced performance versus those that excel in one area but lag in others. For example, Gidhor shows strong performance in engagement and quality checks, while Barhat excels in auditing.
What Does This Mean?
These numbers show that the audit was mostly done on paper, not in the villages. Important steps were skipped:
- People were not properly involved.
- Most completed works were not checked in real life.
- Big amounts of public money were not reviewed.
This creates space for corruption, fake reports, and misuse of taxpayer funds, while the poor remain unheard.
Questions We Must Ask the District Officials
- Why was ₹18 crore left unaudited?
- Why were over 1 lakh workers not included in the audit?
- Why was work verification limited to only 6%?
- Why was one Panchayat not covered?
- Why wasn’t the audit report shared publicly with villagers?
- Has any action been taken on blocks with low performance?
- Will there be a re-audit?
What Should Be Done Now?
To fix this broken audit process, the Jamui administration must:
- Re-audit blocks where major money remains unaudited
- Verify more worksites physically
- Talk to all workers before closing the audit
- Organize real Gram Sabhas, not just formal ones
- Publish audit findings in Hindi and display in every Panchayat Bhawan
- Ensure independent teams do the auditing, not local officials
