In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,
a) "Act" means The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017.
b) "applicant" means any household or any of its other members who has applied for benefits under any programme;
c) "Block" means a community development area within a district comprising a group of villages;
d) "citizen" means a citizen of India who resides within the country;
e) "District Social Audit Coordinator" means an officer of the State Government designated as such under Sub Section 1 of Section 8 for implementation of the Act in a district;
f) "household" means the members of a family related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption and normally residing together and sharing meals or holding a common ration card;
g) "implementing agency" includes any Government Department, Agency or "Organisation" implementing different development programmes, schemes and projects of the Government.
h) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
i) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
j) "Project" means any work taken up under a Scheme for the purpose intended;
k) "RTI Act" means the Right to Information Act 2005 as notified by the Central Government;
l) "rural" means an area designated as Rural in the Population Census published by Government of India; m) "State Council" means the State Social Audit Transparency and Accountability Council constituted for the purpose under Section 5 of this Act; n) "State Government" means the Government of Meghalaya;
o) "Social Audit Nodal Officer" means an officer appointed by a Department as the Nodal Officer under Section 10 of this Act;
p) "Scheme" or "Development Programmes" means a Scheme or Programme notified by the State Government under Schedule I of this Act; and
q) "urban" means any area in a State covered by any urban local body except covered by Cantonment Board established or constituted under any law for the time being in force;