RTI for the road

In two years,the RTI bus has covered 1,45,000 km and gone to 3,50,000 villagers informing them of their right to know....

It is noon and the mercury has crossed the 41-degree mark. But in Bhilwara,Rajasthan,the villagers stand huddled,waiting for RTI wale. Soon,a yellow-and-black Tata Sumo trundles into the village,trailed by a group of excited children shouting,RTI wale aa gaye. It comes to a halt in front of the village panchayat and out pops a mike and one of the two men in the vehicle begins to speak. This is Right to Information on wheels. And we are here to show you the path to justice, says Harinesh Pandya,a volunteer of Mahiti Adhikar Gujarath Pahel MAGP that initiated the movement.

Started in March 2008,RTI-on-wheels is an initiative to take the message of the Right to Information Act,2005,to remote villages of the country. And what started in Gujarat has moved on to 34 districts,88 gram sabhas and 93 public authorities in Gujarat,Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Based out of Ahmedabad,MAGP is a forum that promotes RTI and motivates people to obtain and use information as a means to develop and empower.

The van,pasted with banners and posters,comes with a laptop with over 143 films on RTI,a sound and mike system,television and CD player. There is also a help desk to draft the applications for the villagers.

At least five days a week,the car visits remote villages in the three states,spreading the message of RTI. Besides using lectures and films to drive home the message,the volunteers interact with people and fill RTI application forms for them. Many of the problems are common to most villages. Watershed developments initiatives,road construction,NREGS and so on. For these,we have ready applications. For individual concerns such as property disputes and pension issues,we help them fill the applications, says Pankti Jog,volunteer,MAGP.

We started Indias first RTI telephone helpline to provide prompt guidance to citizens about the Act. So far,the RTI helpline has responded to more than 47,000 phone calls. The RTI-on-wheels takes it one step further,reaching out to remote villages, says Jog.

In the two years of its journey,the RTI-on-wheels has been part of a number of life-changing stories. Ratna Alas is one of them. Ala is a visually challenged,middle-aged man who lives in Rangapur in Rajkot district of Rajasthan. The rough,kachha road leading to his village made it impossible for him to walk. One day,he dialled the RTI helpline and with their help filed an application to enquire about the funds allotted for the road. The impact? Not only did he get details of the funds allotted,even the fraud that the block administration was involved in came to light. The road was constructed and Ala was given the Rahul Mangaonkar Award for the use of RTI. Today,Ala is our activist, says Pandya.

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Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roys foundation Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan MKSS was so impressed with the concept that they invited the vehicle for a demonstration in parts of Rajasthan. The visit to Bhilwara was part of this demonstration. It is a great initiative. RTI is the second most important movement after the freedom struggle and it is important that every Indian knows and utilises it effectively, says Lal Singh,member,MKSS.

That means a long ride for the RTI van. Having covered 1,45,000 km,the RTI-on-wheels has reached over 3,50,000 villagers in two years, says Pandya.