RTI Campaign News
by PuneCog1) Report of RTI Campaign Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for the year 2007 (extensive campaign in 13 districts of UP and two districts of Bihar)
The primary results of this intensive campaign are as follows:
1. Information Officers were appointed in various departments.
2. General public became aware of this law.
3. Departments started accepting RTI applications.
4. After intense pressure some departments made arrangements for cash deposit of RTI application fee.
5. Administration became active after the knowledge of cases of corruption.
6. Files declared lost or in disuse became available and active emerging from their dusty graves.
7. Muster rolls and other government records obtained helped audit the programs. Massive corruption was highlighted resulting in increased participation by public in demanding accountability.
Read the detailed report of RTI campaign:
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/Report_RTI_Fellows_English.pdf
Summary of the RTI Campaign Activities and Impact:
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/Summary_RTI_Campaign_UP_Bihar.pdf
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2) Social Audit of NREGS in Miyaganj Block of Unnao Dist. Of UP from 20th to 28th May, 2008
Hindi parcha yahan se uplabdh karen:
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/Miaganj_Social_Audit.pdf
After a year and a half of struggle activists of Asha Parivar and residents of Miyaganj Block of Unnao District Yeshwant Rao and Virendra Singh have been successful in obtaining documents related to implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in their Block. The application asking for information (like Muster Rolls and Measurement Books, etc.) under the Right to Information Act, 2005, was filed on 4th December, 2006 by Yeshwant Rao at his Block office. He received a reply in June 2007 asking him to submit Rs. 1,58,400 (at an arbitrarily fixed rate of Rs. 2,400 per village panchayat for 66 panchayats in the Miyaganj Block). This followed a long battle in the State Information Commission of UP where after more than ten hearings ultimately an order was passed directing the Block officials to provide information free of cost. The activists finally started getting the documents on 6th April, 2008. This is the most detailed information that Asha Parivar has got in its attempts to conduct social audits so far in this area (earlier social audits of NREGS have been conducted in Bharawan, Sandila and Behender Blocks of neighbouring Hardoi District).
Volunteers are invited to be part of the Social Audit of NREGS in Miyaganj Block of Unnao District from 20th to 28th May, 2008. We will assemble at the Miyaganj Block office on the morning of 20th May for a two day training. Eleven teams will then visit the 66 village panchayats over the next six days with each team covering one panchayat in a day. Finally, on 28th May there will be a public hearing on the social audit reports.
We also solicit financial donations for conducting the social audit in Miyaganj. Donations may be sent in the name of 'Asha' to Vallabhacharya Pandey, Village Bhandaha Kalan, Post Kaithi, Varanasi-221116, Ph: (0542) 2618201, 2618301, 2618401, Mobile: 9415256848, ashakashi@gmail.com
Asha Parivar, Unnao and National Alliance of People's Movements, UP
After 1.5 Years, Right to Information Act provides relief to Unnao residents
http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/3882-after-1-5-years-right-information-act...
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Right to Information Campaign, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
RTI awareness work is gaining momentum at Kanpur in the last year as part of the statewide campaign. The Kanpur activists have ensured that the different government offices have appointed information officers (PIOs) and that they receive the requests for information from the public in the proper manner. There have achieved a few successes. The newspapers are now publishing the names and mobile phone numbers of all the PIOs along with phone number for Mahesh every day.
Kanpur team also used RTI to get help for the schools they are running for underprivileged children in their village.
People interested in further information about RTI Campaigns, especially the work in Kanpur area, can contact Mahesh at 9838546900.
Launch of Right to Information Campaign in Kanpur
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/Launch_RTI_Kanpur.pdf
Right to Information Campaign Camps in Kanpur: October 2007
Tehsil day RTI camp in Kanpur draws 500 to 600 people and many applications, Oct 2007
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/RTIReportOct.pdf
Right to Information Campaign Camps in Kanpur: December 2007
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/RTI_report_Dec07.pdf
Right to Information Campaign Camps in Kanpur: March 2008
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/RTI_ReportKanpur2Mar.pdf
In addition, on July 24, 2007, the Tehsil day for Kanpur, the RTI U.P. Campaign held an awareness camp and drive to file RTI applications and appeals for pending cases from previous Tehsil day.
Detailed report of this Tehsil day drive: http://ashaparivar.org/files/Report_RTI_Kanpur_July2407.pdf
Tehsil Diwas Oct 2007 par Ghoos ko Ghunsa Abhiyaan ke tahat lagaye gaye camp mein bhari sankhya mein ward aur Tehsil ke logon ne Soochna Ka Adhikar ka Prayog kiya. Ration card, vidhwa pension adi jarooraton ki jankari payi.
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/files/RTI_Report_Kanpur_Oct_9.pdf
PDS related protests and dharnas were held in rural Hardoi all summer of 2007 after Right to Information application once again disclosed continuing discrepancies in ration distribution. People demand that the PDS shops improve their functioning.
Right to Information Campaign, Assam.
- Camp in Tamulpur, Assam: Sept. 2007
http://www.ashaparivar.org/cms/files/rtic_assam.pdf
RTI Flyer in Assamese and Report of RTI Camp in Hindi: http://www.ashaparivar.org/cms/files/RTI_Camp_Tamulpur_Assam.pdf
RTI and NREGA Social Audit Campaign News from Chandauli (also spelled as Chandoli), Uttar Pradesh
- On Jan 30, 2008 Jayshankar informed me about a huge victory last week by 600 labor workers who after days of hunger fast received Rs 4.8 Lakh due to them from government for NREGA work. For details on all activities:
http://ashaparivar.org/cms/node/50
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Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Anti Bribery Campaign Notes: Uttar Pradesh
Dear friends,
the campaign in UP is doing relatively well. here are some highlights:
* police dept. accepts first application in sitapur yesterday.
* DG police office sends an employee to collect applications from lucknow centre today after 3 applications were torn by them 3-4 days back.
* 175 applications filed in hardoi and 110 in sitapur. cash fees being accepted in all departments in these two districts now. however, in most other districts people have to pay by chalan, bank draft or postal order. progress in sultanpur, chandauli is slow with about 15-20 applications filed so far. less than 10 applications filed in unnao, deoria, moradabad. bigger cities like lucknow, gorakhpur and varanasi doing relatively better.
* first applications under RTI were filed in hardoi, chandauli and deoria during this campaign.
* one man in lucknow gets his pension after waiting for 11 years.
* one disabled man invited to join in nagar nigam, varanasi, after being offered a job 1.5 years back. he was being made to run.
* new camp starts in mau district today. contact person arvind kumar, mobile: 09839835032
* first tehsil level camp organized in chandauli district at sakaldiha today, contact jayashankar, mobile: 09839716248.
* demand for camps in azamgarh, mirzapur, ballia, jaunpur, rae bareli, barabanki, gonda, kushinagar, bijnore, kanpur districts. a one day camp going to be organized in azamgarh on 21st july. activists from varanasi will help organize this, contact vallabhacharya, 09415256848.
An evaluation meeting on the campaign in UP has been invited at dr. ambedkar mahasabha, opposite vidhan bhawan, lucknow, on 17th july. activists from about a dozen centres being organized throughout UP during this campaign likely to attend this.
love, sandeep
http://indiarti.blogspot.com/2006/07/anti-bribery-campaign-notes-uttar_1...
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Archives of RTI Campaigns (prior to July 2007) in rural Hardoi and other districts of Uttar Pradesh are at:
http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/asha_parivar_rti.html