Book title

Realising Rights: A Handbook of Welfare in India

People’s Watch: Principles of Social Accountability

Abstract

Social accountability refers to mechanisms within public programmes that seek to make the state responsive to citizens’ claims by creating direct linkages between citizens and government. These mechanisms have expanded state–society interfaces for participation, claim-making and oversight, extending the downward reach of the democratic state. The development and functioning of social accountability mechanisms in India’s welfare state can be understood through key instruments such as social audits, grievance redress systems and public information platforms. Rights-based legislations since the 2000s have transformed governance by embedding transparency, citizen participation and oversight within state institutions. However, persistent challenges remain and perhaps the gravest threat to these social accountability systems are sweeping legislative changes which undermine transparency and the retrenchment of social rights.

Publisher

Azim Premji University

Year

2026

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