Client / Financial Support: Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Devdungari, Rajasthan (MKSS)

Duration: 17 minutes

The film documents a series of public hearings in several village panchayats dating back to December 1994. These meetings were organized by the MKSS and were intended to act as social audits of all development related expenditure that had taken place within and around these villages. A key fallout of these hearings was the demonstration of wide-spread corruption amongst Sarpanches, Engineers and Officials overseeing expenditure on public works . While such corruption is known to exist at all levels of government, these meetings served to identify specific officers forced to admit to the mismanagement and embezzlement of public funds. Jun sunwais have given villagers the opportunity to raise objections, voice opinions and bring corrupt public practices out in the open. They have ultimately ensured that villagers are involved in the planning, execution and monitoring of development processes. Jun sunwais brought enormous pressure on the government to pass the right to information act, and this was finally done in May 2000. Citizens now have the right to inspect all government expenditure in the name of public works at the level of the state, the district and the village panchayat.