PAISA 2015: Studies on Tracking Social Sector Spending in India

Date and Time

May 8, 2015

9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Location

Magnolia Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

The seminar will present four papers prepared by Accountability Initiative researchers tracking budgets and fund flows in elementary education, public health and Panchayats. The paper presentations will be followed by discussant comments.

Discussants include: Amit Kaushik, Director for education and skill development, IPE Global
Deepak Sanan, Additional chief secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh, and
Govind Rao, Member 14th Finance Commission

The seminar will close with a panel discussion on the implications of the 14th Finance Commission report on social sector spending in India and the way forward for PAISA studies.

Panelists include: Sumit Bose, Member Expenditure Management Commission
Rathin Roy, Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
Govind Rao, Member 14th Finance Commission, and chaired by Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research

Abstract: Since 2010, Accountability Initiative, Centre for Policy Research has been implementing a series of studies called PAISA that track plans, budgets and fund flows in elementary education. The studies include a national level survey undertaken in partnership with the ASER survey that tracks school level grants at a national scale and a detailed district level study that tracks the entire gamut of expenditure from teacher salaries to civil works and school grants in elementary education. In 2014, PAISA launched two new studies in the area of Panchayat finances and health. This seminar will present detailed findings from each of these studies. The particular focus of the discussions will be on how to relate fund tracking work with the changing architecture of fiscal federalism in India.

Panel 1: PAISA in education

Presentations by: