BENCHMARKING PUBLIC DELIVERY AT THE FOREST FRINGES IN JHARKAND, INDIA

A Citizens' Report Card (CRC) Pilot

Provision of services such as health, education, water and sanitation and transport are important determinants of the standard of living and of social welfare. A Citizens' Report Card (CRC) is a diagnostic tool that can be used to asses the quality of such services and to pinpoint the nature of problems with service delivery. It consists of gathering information on several aspects of these services, via an objective survey of the users and intended beneficiaries. In collaboration with local partners, PROFOR recently sponsored a pilot CRC in the Indian state of Jharkhand. 400 rural families were asked to respond on the quality of five services provided publicly-forestry, primary education, drinking water, health and rural credit. Not surprisingly, the survey finds relatively low overall levels of satisfaction with these services, but a rather large variation in satisfaction across services.