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Right to Information – Need and Status

Right to Information – Need and Status. Sirish Agarwal and Sanjeev Ranganathan Asha-14 Conference Chicago May 28 - 30, 2005. Content. Provisions of Right to Information law Social Change Government Solution Why it does not work People’s Needs People’s Solutions

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Right to Information – Need and Status

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  1. Right to Information – Need and Status Sirish Agarwal and Sanjeev Ranganathan Asha-14 Conference Chicago May 28 - 30, 2005

  2. Content • Provisions of Right to Information law • Social Change • Government Solution • Why it does not work • People’s Needs • People’s Solutions • Examples of People’s struggles • Current Status • Get Involved

  3. Right To Information • Law provides for easy access to public information • Inspect any government work • Appeal to Public grievance commission • Nine states and central govt have passed the right to information law • Implementation resisted • Lack training, clear procedures, awareness among users

  4. Social Change • Education & Health • Justice for all – rule of law • Right to food and work • Shelter • Transparent accountable governance • Rights for women and children

  5. Social Change - Government Solution • Top-down approach for a problem • These do not always represent requirements of the people

  6. Why it does not work? • Vested interests • Opportunism • Corruption • Cultural and social bounds – structural in nature • Extreme poverty and marginalization • Externalized problem, stigmatized Threats to survival, dignity, hope, self-respect

  7. Examples of People’s Involvement Social Audits of: • Pension schemes • Housing schemes • Construction projects • Ration shops • Land redistribution • Government health clinics

  8. Social Change - People’s Solutions • People’s groups work to • Make policies relevant • Monitor functioning of govt agencies • Change attitudes • People’s groups are participatory in decision making and accountability

  9. Examples of Struggles • Panchayat Sikoriah (Hardoi District) • Construction projects • The people’s group in this case was the self-help group organized around Asha center Lalpur, U.P. • - Villages asked the panchayat for the details of the accounts. • After long struggle they finally got some numbers of expenditure in six construction projects. • Three items were ghost projects and bogus expenses were found in the rest.

  10. Examples cont… • Delhi • Ration shops • The people’s group in this case was Parivartan. • 142/182 families did not receive ration • 87% of the wheat did not reach the families • Records were made public and since then people have informed us that all dealers but one have been giving the correct ration for the last two months • An FIR has been lodged against him

  11. Current Status • In nine states the right to information is empowering people’s groups. • There is resistance to pass this law in the rest of the states. • Citizenship education is still required to get people to exercise this right. • However, in some cases the gains made at local officials are still overturned by higher level administration and judiciary.

  12. Get Involved • Understand issues of the underprivileged • Encourage getting information for government agencies that affect projects and communities • Give moral support, encourage formation of local groups/civic institutions, networks • Encourage transparency and local accountability in projects • Personally do not encourage systems that make govt bodies morally weaker, e.g. do not use short cuts like bribes or connections to get things done.

  13. Statistics • TamilNadu, Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh -between 1997 and 2003 • Delhi – Covers 119 departments of govt., 15 – 30 days response time, penalties for refusal to respond • Central govt. Freedom of Information Act – 2002 • Initiatives in other states

  14. RTI Campaigns • Mazdoor Kissan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan. • Parivartan, Delhi. • Asha, Hardoi District, U.P. • National campaign for people’s rights to information (NCPRI) www.righttoinformation.com • Others.

  15. Citizenship Education • Education that empowers to change the economic and structural binds • Awareness of rights and responsibilities • Participatory decision making, local accountability • Understanding of environment

  16. Investment in Future • Development through steps of : • access to education, income, and information • empowerment, citizenship rights and duties and • participation. These steps will lead to community's participation in training, resource generation and management for its future generations.

  17. Summary • At-risk, Threat to survival • RTI as a tool for participation, control, management of future, choices, staying power • Hope, dignity, respect, confidence

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