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Basic Structure Doctrine
Comprehensive analytical note on Basic Structure Doctrine for UPSC 2025-26. Covers constitutional/legal framework, evolution, key judgments, current status, PYQ analysis…
In the early 1990s, MKSS activists in Rajasthan walked village by village, reading out government muster rolls to labourers. The labourers pointed out names of people who hadn't worked, money that hadn't been paid, materials that hadn't arrived. This was the first social audit in India - and it directly shaped MGNREGA's mandatory social audit provision, the RTI Act (2005), and the model for participatory accountability. In 2025, MGNREGA was repealed and replaced by the VB-G RAM G Act - but social audit was not only retained, it was strengthened. Social audit is a Prelims topic, a GS 4 ethics case study, and a Mains governance answer all in one.
[TOPIC CLASSIFICATION]
Topic type: Governance / Social Justice / Ethics PYQ frequency: High. Appears in GS 2 (governance), GS 3 (rural employment), GS 4 (ethics), and Prelims. Exam stage relevance: Prelims + Mains (GS 2, GS 3, GS 4) Primary GS Paper: GS 2 (Governance), GS 4 (Ethics)
[EXAMINER REASONING]
Trap: Confusing social audit with financial audit. Financial audit (CAG) examines whether accounts are accurate. Social audit is done BY BENEFICIARIES - it examines whether the programme actually reached intended people.
Most confused: Is social audit...