Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) "Assistant Project Director" means an officer appointed by the Commissioner Rural Development for overseeing the implementation of the schemes and programmes above the Mandal level; (b) "Corrupt practice” means an act or omission made by any functionary entrusted with a task by the concerned Authority of Government with the intention of defrauding Government or depriving the beneficiaries for whom the various Government schemes and programmes are intended; (c) "Court" means a Special Mobile Court established under section 3; (d) "Government" means the State Government of Andhra Pradesh; (e) "Notification" means a notification published in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette and the word "notified" shall be construed accordingly; (f) "Observer" means an officer not less than the rank of Tahsildar working in a district deputed by the District Collector to attend the Social Audit Gram Sabha; (g) "Offence" means any act or omission made punishable under this Act; (h) "Prescribed" means prescribed by the Government by rules made under this Act; (i) "Social Audit" means public auditing of the details of implementation of any Government schemes and programmes including by way of ground level verification of works, pay orders or other records with reference to beneficiaries of the scheme and programmes conducted by the primary stakeholders with the active involvement of the Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency (SSAAT); (j) "Social Auditors" means the beneficiaries or members from the beneficiary families identified by the SSAAT, trained in Social Audit processes and who will carry out the Social Audits and present the findings in the Social Audit Gram Sabha; (k) "Social Audit Gram Sabha" means a Gram Sabha specially convened on the conclusion of the social audit process in which the Social Audit report is read out; (l) "Social Audit Mandal Public Hearing" means the social audit public hearing at the Mandal level conducted by the District Collector, or any other officer authorised on his behalf, in the manner prescribed under Social audit rules; (m) "Social Audit Rules" means the rules made by Government for conduct of social audit for various Government schemes and programmes from time to time; (n) "Society for Social audit, Accountability and Transparency (SSAAT)" means the Society, which is the apex body at the State level for overseeing the process of social audits, registered by the Government under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2001 (Act 35 of 2001) mandated to facilitate conducting of social audit of various Government schemes and programmes; (o) "Special Magistrate" means the Magistrate appointed as such under section 3.