Jansunwai: When Citizens Speak, Records Answer
Public hearings expose truth in records, empower villagers to question officials, recover entitlements, and institutionalise transparency through social audits locally.
What Is a Jansunwai?
A jansunwai is a public hearing where government records are read aloud before the community and verified in the open. Workers, pensioners, and residents compare muster rolls, bills, and measurements with what exists on the ground, while officials respond publicly. This collective forum makes information meaningful: numbers become wages, assets, and services that people can see and check. The practice restores trust by aligning paper with reality, deterring fraud, and correcting errors. Unlike closed complaint systems, a jansunwai is visible, participatory, and answer-seeking—turning rights into lived accountability and ensuring that public money yields public outcomes.
Key Points
- Records are read aloud and matched with ground reality in public.
- Citizens, not just officials, frame questions and verify delivery.
- Officials answer openly; corrections and recoveries are time-bound.
- Feeds directly into RTI practice and formal social audits.
- Protects honest functionaries by clarifying responsibility.
Origins: From Kot Kirana to Janawad
Early hearings began when villagers demanded that expenditure records be read publicly. In Kot Kirana, open comparisons between bills, muster rolls, and ground reality exposed false entries and inflated claims. The approach scaled in Janawad, where larger gatherings created a democratic space for workers to confirm names, days, and payments line by line. Officials were asked to explain discrepancies, and time-bound actions were recorded. These experiences showed that transparency is most powerful in public view—building courage, correcting records, and shaping the later architecture of RTI, social audits, and accountability laws grounded in daily realities.
Purpose and Practice
A jansunwai’s purpose is simple: make records answerable and delivery correctable. Notices invite all stakeholders; relevant lists, estimates, and payments are displayed; and an anchor reads entries aloud. Workers and beneficiaries verify details; engineers and officials clarify measurements and rules. A written proceedings note captures discrepancies, recovery orders, or payments due with clear deadlines. Because the process is public, it protects whistle-blowers and honest staff while discouraging manipulation. Most importantly, it converts a right to know into a right to be heard—linking information to action that restores entitlements.
From RTI to Social Audits
Jansunwais inspired a broader accountability toolkit. RTI applications secure documents—sanctions, muster rolls, and payment trails—needed for a meaningful hearing. Formal social audits build on this by standardising formats, measurements, and public readings, ending with time-bound action notes. Together, RTI and social audits convert disclosure into answerability, and answerability into corrections. The approach protects livelihoods by ensuring wages, pensions, and rations match what the state reports. In short, the public hearing is the living bridge between information rights and on-ground delivery that people can see, question, and improve.
Challenges and Improvements
Hearings can falter if records are incomplete, notices are too short, or participants feel intimidated. Digital dashboards help, but paper access remains vital for those without connectivity. Mislabelled “resolved” cases erode trust unless actions are verified in public. Capacity building for anchors, engineers, and frontline staff is essential, as are clear templates for measurements and proceedings notes. Above all, attendance must be inclusive—women workers, elderly pensioners, and the most marginalised. With these safeguards, a jansunwai remains a practical instrument that strengthens institutions by making them listen, explain, and correct.