Accountability Initiative and Arghyam take a closer look at NBA's financing structure
— Blog Post — 1 min read
Read "From outlays to outcomes: Understanding the Status of Rural Sanitation Data" here.
The new study explores whether the governance and financing structure of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) enables a more outcomes-focused approach to sanitation. The short answer is no.
In their words, "Our analysis suggests serious constraints in the current system. First, there still exists no database for measuring usage or outcomes. As a result, planning is based on input parameters which themselves have serious gaps. Second, while the NGP has taken an important step by setting the GP’s as the unit of planning, the current system of planning, decision-making and fund flows continues to be heavily centralised...Third, in a system focused on compliance to government norms (submission of UC’s etc), the delays in the receipt of funds results in prioritization of measurable outputs – such as construction activities. In contrast, IEC funds – defined as a corner stone of the programme continue to be under-spent."