‘Social Audit’ means :

(a) A process that enables an organization to assess benefits accrued

(b) Measuring the extent to which an organization lives up to shared values and committed objectives

(c) Helping an organization in budgetary planning process

(d) Reviewing governmental expenditure

The correct answer is - (a) and (b)

Key Points

• Social Audit is a process that assesses an organization's activities in terms of social impact and ethical practices.
  • The primary goal is to enable the organization to evaluate benefits accrued to the community and stakeholders (statement (a)).
  • It also measures how well the organization adheres to its shared values and committed objectives (statement (b)).
• Social audits are focused on transparency, accountability, and stakeholder participation.
• Options like budgetary planning (statement (c)) and reviewing government expenditure (statement (d)) are not core objectives of social audits but may overlap in specific contexts.

Additional Information

• Purpose of Social Audits:
  • To ensure that organizations and governments fulfill their social responsibilities.
  • To improve transparency and accountability in the implementation of policies, especially those affecting marginalized communities.
  • To provide a platform for stakeholders to actively participate in the evaluation process.
• Applications of Social Audit:
  • Widely used in public welfare programs, such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in India.
  • Helps monitor the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
• Steps in Social Audit:
  • Engaging stakeholders and forming audit teams.
  • Gathering data and feedback through surveys, reports, and community meetings.
  • Analyzing the data and preparing an audit report.
  • Presenting findings to stakeholders for further action and improvement.