BARC engages itself in a variety of activities to achieve its broader objectives of strengthening the democracy and empowering the marginalized people of the state. Besides analyzing and studying the state budget and polices from a pro poor pro marginalized perspective and presenting it to the MLAs, the government officials, civil society and people’s organizations and media the Centre also conducts workshops and meetings with MLAs, people’s organizations and media. Some of the planned activities we conduct in the process are following:

• Workshop with MLAs

BARC organizes budget orientation meetings for the MLAs of Rajasthan more than once in a year. We share our analysis and findings with MLAs which they raise in the Vidhan Sabah. The MLAs also express their concerns and their areas of interests on which they would like BARC to focus.

• Working with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) / Local Bodies

We conduct workshops with members of PRIs and local bodies in Rajasthan state. We discuss with elected members of PRIs the budget making process at PRI level, micro planning and budget provisions and various schemes for PRIs etc. The PRIs also share the practices of budget making and planning and it’s a mutual learning process for BARC team. The objectives are to come out with a training and working manual on budget and planning for PRIs.

• Issue-Based Meetings

We organize four issue based meetings focusing on any one issue of public concern. Through issue based meetings, we try to give in-depth knowledge and information to the participants who come from the NGOs/peoples organizations working on the specific issue taken for the each meeting.

• Regional Budget Orientation and Awareness Workshops

Every year we organize three regional budget awareness meetings in 3 different parts of the state. Main objectives of these meetings is to focus on overall budget analysis work as well as budgets of some major departments related to social and economic issues.

• Micro Studies

We conduct some micro studies in every year with the purpose of making an assignment of the impact of the government policies and expenditures on the poor and marginalized people. These micro studies also explore linkages between policy, budget and actual situations at the grass-root level.

• Publications

BARC publishes a newsletter titled “Budget Samachar” in every three months. We also publish booklets presenting the findings of the micro studies, as well as about the major schemes, budget provisions for various social and economic.