The Community Monitoring and Information System (CMIS), introduced by South Orissa Voluntary Action (SOVA) in 2009, aims to enhance community-based monitoring by involving local people in tracking government schemes like MGNREGA (employment), PDS (food), and pension programs. The initiative promotes transparency, accountability, and empowerment by engaging the community in monitoring processes, thereby ensuring that beneficiaries receive their full entitlements.CMIS involves gathering input from community members through various information-sharing mechanisms, creating a comprehensive Community Monitoring and Information Chart(CMIC). This tool tracks the status of entitlements at the village level and provides a visual representation that is easily understood, even by illiterate individuals. The chart empowers the community to identify gaps, advocate for their rights, and engage in informed discussions with government authorities.

CMIC monitored progress in villages, resulting in significant outcomes. Community members, particularly women, became informed about their entitlements and actively engaged in meetings with representatives from the Panchayat Raj Institutions and local government officials. This fostered greater transparency and accountability in the execution of government schemes. Regular discussions and collaborative planning sessions between community leaders and government officials helped identify gaps and enhance the responsiveness of local governance.Women’s involvement was particularly enhanced through CMIS. In the Village Development Committees, 50% of members are reserved for women, and key leadership roles are filled by women. This structure ensures that women have a voice in decision-making processes related to village development. Moreover, CMIC tracks women’s entitlements, increasing their awareness and participation in village development discussions, especially those concerning vulnerable families such as widows, single women, and the elderly.

The success of the CMIS has led to its potential replication in other government programs, to monitor vulnerable families’ livelihoods, health and education status. Unlike the government’s traditional use of registers, which exclude illiterate individuals, the pictorial Information Chart has proven more effective in increasing community participation and tracking entitlements. It is an innovative, community-driven system that could be easily replicated across villages to enhance the monitoring and implementation of various government schemes, ensuring that every eligible family benefits from their entitlements.