National Infrastructure Equity Audit

The Indian government’s focus on rural development and the number of flagship programmes championing welfare schemes for rural India notwithstanding access to infrastructure is marred by exclusion. Location and distribution of village-level infrastructure and essential services are seldom equitably distributed. In order to substantiate this, Social Equity Watch, which operates as a platform for organisations and people who believe in inclusive politics, undertook an equity audit.

 

NIEA- PHASE I

 

The National Infrastructure Equity Audit, in 2011 mapped 125 Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan, covering around 1000 caste/religious habitations. It captures information on access of different social groups to village-level public infrastructure, including (a) Anganwadi centre; (b) health centre; (c) drinking water;  (d) community centre; (e) electricity; (f) police station; (g) agriculture centre; (h) panchayat bhavan; (i) road (j) public distribution system; (k) post office; (l) school; (m) telephone/information kiosk.

 

NIEA CONSULTATION

 

The study findings of NIEA phase I, was disseminated through a meeting.