UPSC Governance – Chapter 10: Social Audit and Public Accountability (21 MCQs)

← Back

UPSC Governance – Chapter 10: Social Audit and Public Accountability (21 MCQs) – 21 questions, subject: Governance. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

Get daily current affairs & exam alerts – follow us YouTube WhatsApp Channel Telegram Channel Facebook Page Instagram
Share with friends & study groups
Link to this page from your website / blog (HTML code)
1.  

Under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (in force until 30 June 2026), social audits were conducted by the:

Correct Answer: C [Gram Sabha]

Explanation:

Section 17 of the Act required the Gram Sabha to conduct regular social audits of all projects in the Gram Panchayat.

2.  

The first State to pass a law making social audit of government schemes mandatory across departments was:

Correct Answer: B [Meghalaya]

Explanation:

Meghalaya's Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017 was the first State law mandating social audit across departments.

3.  

MPLADS is administered by the:

Correct Answer: D [Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation]

Explanation:

MPLADS has been administered by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which issues its guidelines.

4.  

Under MPLADS, the share of funds for areas inhabited by Scheduled Tribes is at least:

Correct Answer: D [7.5 per cent]

Explanation:

MPLADS guidelines require at least 7.5 per cent of funds for areas inhabited by Scheduled Tribes.

5.  

The citizen report card was first used in India in:

Correct Answer: B [Bengaluru]

Explanation:

Samuel Paul's group prepared India's first citizen report card on Bengaluru's public services in 1993.

6.  

Elections are an example of:

Correct Answer: C [vertical accountability]

Explanation:

Through elections, citizens hold rulers to account from below, which is vertical accountability.

7.  

Participatory budgeting began in:

Correct Answer: C [Porto Alegre]

Explanation:

Participatory budgeting began in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989, where citizens decided part of the city budget.

8.  

Which section of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA provided for social audit?

Correct Answer: A [Section 17]

Explanation:

Section 17 of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA made social audit by the Gram Sabha a legal requirement.

9.  

In which case did the Supreme Court uphold the constitutional validity of MPLADS?

Correct Answer: A [Bhim Singh v. Union of India]

Explanation:

In Bhim Singh v. Union of India (2010) a Constitution Bench upheld the validity of MPLADS.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Under MPLADS, the MP only recommends works.
2. The District Authority must inspect at least 10 per cent of MPLADS works every year.
3. Unspent MPLADS funds lapse at the end of the financial year.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

The MP only recommends and the District Authority inspects 10 per cent of works; funds are non-lapsable, so 3 is wrong.

11.  

Assertion (A): Social audit can detect leakages that a financial audit may miss.

Reason (R): In a social audit, the people who were meant to benefit verify the records against what happened on the ground.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true; beneficiaries checking records against ground reality is precisely why social audit catches leakages.

12.  

The Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency (SSAAT) belongs to:

Correct Answer: A [Andhra Pradesh]

Explanation:

Andhra Pradesh set up the Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency in 2009 for State-wide social audits.

13.  

The Kerala People's Plan Campaign was launched in:

Correct Answer: D [1996]

Explanation:

Kerala launched the People's Plan Campaign in 1996, devolving a large share of plan funds to local bodies.

14.  

The annual MPLADS entitlement per MP since 2011–12 is:

Correct Answer: D [₹5 crore]

Explanation:

The annual entitlement was raised from ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore per MP from 2011–12.

15.  

The CAG, Parliamentary committees and the courts are examples of:

Correct Answer: C [horizontal accountability]

Explanation:

The CAG, Parliamentary committees and courts are State institutions checking other State institutions – horizontal accountability.

16.  

The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Audit of Schemes Rules, 2011 were framed in consultation with the:

Correct Answer: B [Comptroller and Auditor-General]

Explanation:

The Audit of Schemes Rules, 2011 were framed by the Centre in consultation with the CAG, as the Act required.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. MPLADS launched
2. Meghalaya Social Audit Act
3. Mahatma Gandhi NREGA enacted
4. Kerala People's Plan Campaign

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [1-4-3-2]

Explanation:

1993, 1996, 2005, 2017.

18.  

Which law, apart from MGNREGA, provides for social audit of the public distribution system?

Correct Answer: A [National Food Security Act, 2013]

Explanation:

Section 28 of the National Food Security Act, 2013 provides for periodic social audits of the public distribution system.

19.  

A public hearing in which records of local works are read out and officials answer the people is called a:

Correct Answer: C [jan sunwai]

Explanation:

A jan sunwai, popularised by the MKSS in Rajasthan, is a public hearing where records are read out and officials answer.

20.  

In the study of accountability, the possibility of imposing sanctions on an official whose explanation of a decision is not acceptable is called:

Correct Answer: B [enforceability]

Explanation:

enforceability is the possibility of sanctions when the explanation given is not acceptable.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2020

With reference to the funds under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which of the following statements are correct?

1. MPLADS funds must be used to create durable assets like physical infrastructure for health, education, etc.
2. A specified portion of each MP's fund must benefit SC/ST populations.
3. MPLADS funds are sanctioned on a yearly basis and the unused funds cannot be carried forward to the next year.
4. The district authority must inspect at least 10% of all works under implementation every year.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: D [1, 2 and 4 only]

Explanation:

3 is wrong: MPLADS funds are non-lapsable.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U12 · Governance (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-governance

Score: 0 Answered: 0 / 0