Asha Parivar is using handbills on NREGA and RTI to spread awareness of these acts as part of the "Right to Information Campaign, U.P.". Last year the campaign distributed more than one lakh (100,000) handbills. Here is the translated version.
1) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (NREGA)
Work for everyone, Full compensation for all work!
Employment Planning:
All adult members of a family who –
* Live in a rural area
* Are ready to do unskilled manual work
* May apply for their family's registration
* Within 15 days of applying, they will have a right to employment in 5 kilometer area, for 100 days in that fiscal year
Unemployment Allowance:
* If no work is made available to the applicant within 15 days of applying, then he/she becomes eligible for unemployment allowance.
* Rates of Unemployment compensation:
o One fourth of the labor rate for first 30 days
o For the rest of the fiscal year, half of the labor rate
o In any fiscal year: labor + unemployment compensation = labor earnings of 100 days
Labor Rate:
The minimum wages paid to people will be at the rate decided by the state government under Minimum Wages Act of 1948.
What type of work will be provided in the scheme?
* water conservation and water harvesting, drought proofing
* forestation and tree plantation;
* micro and minor irrigation canals
* land development and irrigation work on land owned by SC/ST or beneficiaries of land reforms, or beneficiaries under the Indira Awas Yojana;
* renovation of traditional water bodies, including de-silting of tanks;
* flood-control and protection works, , including drainage in waterlogged areas;
* Construction of roads for all-weather rural connectivity
* any other work approved by Central/State governments
Where to apply?
* To get work under this scheme a written individual or group application may be submitted to Village Panchayat or Program Officer at Block level.
* The officials will be required to give a dated receipt to the applicant.
Job Card:
* After registration, the village panchayat will issue a job card in which will have the names, ages, address, and photographs of the adult applicants from a household.
* This registration will be valid for at least 5 years and it will be renewable from time to time.
* The government will pay for the photograph on the job card.
Allotment of Work:
* The applicants will be provided work based on priority from the Application Register.
* One third job opportunities will be provided to women applicants.
* The applicant will get work within 5 kilometers from his/her village.
* If job location is further than 5 kilometers then an extra 10 percent of the wages will be paid for the extra commute and other expenses.
Other facilities for workers at the work place:
* Drinking water at the work location
* Shade for rest time
* A woman will be present to baby sit 5 or more children of the worker mothers. The children must be younger than 6 years.
* Every provision will be made to provide safety from accidents.
* First Aid in a minor injury
Severe accident or physical injury at work location:
* Free medical services will be provided if any worker or any child of a women worker is physically injured due to a work place accident.
* Half of the wages will be paid for the time spent in the hospital.
* If a worker dies or is permanently handicapped due to a work place accident, the dependents of the person will be helped with a sum of Rs. 25,000.
Payment of Wages:
* Wages will be paid with either in cash or in the form of grains
* At least one fourth of the wages will be paid in cash
* Cash wages and unemployment allowance will be given out on pre announced dates in front of the people of the community
* If wages are not paid in time (weekly or fortnightly) then workers will be entitled to compensation as per the provisions of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936
Planning of works, making the project proposals and Execution:
* Every village panchayat will prepare a development scheme on the advice from ward meetings and the panchayat.
* The village panchayat will be responsible for generation, execution and performance of all the jobs that are created on the basis of demand.
* At least 50 per cent of the works in terms of costs will be allotted to the Gram Panchayat for execution.
Social Audit and Public Scrutiny:
* The muster roll, booklets, permission orders and all other documents will be made available to the Village Sabha by the village panchayat within 15 days of the application submission.
* Village Sabha will carry out regular social audits.
* All efforts will be made to establish transparency and answerability.
* All documents related to the jobs will be made available to the public OR their copies will be given at some predetermined fees.
* Copies of muster rolls of all jobs can be obtained after paying the due fees from the offices of the village panchayat or from the office of the program officer at block level.
* All information regarding the registered workers will be put on the village panchayat notice board and will remain open to scrutiny by the public.
Ban on Contractors and Machinery:
* No contractor is allowed to execute any work that falls under this scheme.
* All jobs should be completed using manual work and no machinery shall be used.
Complaint Procedure:
* Complaints regarding the village panchayat's execution of the scheme may be made to the program officer.
* Program Officer will record every complaint in the register and will solve the complaints and arguments within 7 days.
* There will be a method in place to deal with the complaints at block and district level.
2) Right to Information Handbill
NOTE: THIS ACT WILL BE FIRST MADE ACTIVE ON 5th SEPTEMBER, 2005 and WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN ALL DISTRICTS WITHIN 5 YEARS.
For more information please contact Asha Parivar Members
Contacts:
People's Right : Right to Information (RTI)
Our Money : Our Accounts
Get informed : Live Life
Transparency and Accountability are the pillars of Democracy!
Ø All Indians now have the right to demand information from all government and other constitutional organizations.
Ø Parliament passed the "Right to Information Bill" on May 11, 2005 and the law was enforced all over the country on October 13, 2005.
Ø This law not only applies to semi-government organizations and departments, but also to such private groups, which get funded by the government.
Ø You have the right to get information from all ministries, government departments, offices of constitutional organizations, CBI, public corporations, universities, banks etc.
Ø Some departments are kept out of the reach of this bill. These departments include the confidential and secret investigation departments, scientific research departments, nuclear and satellite department, Kashmir issue and any such information which, if made public, might jeopardize the security of the nation.
Ø Information can be obtained in the matters of violation of human rights and about a probe once the investigation is over.
Ø You can request information about the village chief, the village panchayat, the block panchayat, district panchayat and also about the works, wealth, income and expenditure of your Member of Parliament and Member of Legislative assembly, etc.
Ø You are also entitled to proof of information in the form of photocopies, or electronic copies e.g. floppies, CDs, video tapes or audio tapes, etc.
Ø You can also ask for copies of comments made on any report, decisions, new law, minutes of any meeting, or letters exchanged.
Ø In case any information is not made available to you or your work is not done, you have the right to know the reasons for the same and the names of the person(s) responsible.
Ø To put a stop to the rapidly growing corruption and in order to get your due, please use the RIGHT TO INFORMATION. Use this right, unify in your struggle to stop corruption, and make it a revolution.
The procedure to obtain Information
1) To obtain information you'll have to apply with Rs.10 (ten) only.
2) This amount can be paid in the form of cash, bank draft, banker's check, treasury receipts (chalaans). Postal Order is also recognized in Central government departments.
3) There is no fee for people living under poverty line. They will have to include a copy of their ration card.
4) There is a separate fee to obtain information in electronic form (floppy, CD, video cassette, audio-video tape, etc).
5) Public information officers and staff have been nominated in every department at tehsil and block level. A public/people information officer has been appointed at district level.
6) Information officer will get you desired information within 30 days of receiving your application. If the information is related to another department, the waiting time can be 35 days.
7) If the information is not obtained within the prescribed time, or the information is incomplete, doubtful, unclear, or dissatisfactory, then the appeal for the same should be made to the department's appeal officer within 30 days.
8) If satisfactory information is not obtained from the appeal officer, then the complain will need to be registered with state information committee. Complaints regarding central government departments will need to be registered with Central Information Committee.
9) The information committee will investigate the matter and make the information available within 10 days. It will also take appropriate law-abiding action against related officers and staff. The committee can even deduct Rs250 per day (up to a total of Rs 25000) from the wages of the responsible officer.
10) If the information is not obtained at the Committee level, then an appeal can be made in a court of law as well.
The address of the Central and State Information Committee follows:
Central:
Central Information Director Office
Block 4, 5th Floor
Old JNU Campus
New Delhi – 1100067
Phone: 011-26717351
UP State:
State Information Director Office
Room Number: 24, 25, 26, 28
6th Floor, Indira Bhawan
Lucknow – 226001
Phone: 0522-2336655
Do you want…..
Ø your business stuck in government offices to be completed?
Ø your broken road to be repaired and timely cleaning of the drains?
Ø Your ration card, passport, telephone connection, proof of residency and other such requests fulfilled WITHOUT giving bribe?
Ø That your discontinued pension is resumed and your provident fund money is paid without any troubles?
Ø Freedom from unreasonable behavior of the police officers?
Ø That it becomes easier to get your work done in banks, post office, insurance office etc.?
Ø Justice to be served??
Do you want to know…..
Ø Who is responsible for not doing your work?
Ø How much money was brought in for the village development and how it was spent?
Ø Who has been given the antyodaya, annapoorna, and below poverty line ration cards in your village? Who all get widow, handicapped or old age pension? Who all have benefited from Indira housing, Fisherman housing, toilets or handpump installations?
Ø How many students are there in your village's primary school? How much money was given for the school's development? Or if all the students received the mid-day meal, scholarships, uniforms and books?
Ø Where was the money that came from your MP's, district panchayat's, village panchayat's, and municipality's funds spent?
You have a right to know! So be Alert and Make Use of the Right to Information!!
You must already know that the government wants to amend the Right to Information, to make this right weaker!
If you want the ministers and officers to be responsible towards you and if you want them to pay heed to your opinion while making key policy decisions, then come out to strongly oppose this amendment.
Send an appeal to not alter this law by writing letters, email, and fax to the prime minister and the president of India.
Also, request your MP to oppose this amendment in the Parliament!!
You can contact the Asha Parivar members at the following phone numbers regarding this endeavor: