POWER SHIFT
Pradeep Baisakh
Nannu is a daily wage earner. He made many rounds to the Food and supply office to get a new ration card against the lost one, but to no avail. Finally, he filed an application under the Delhi Right to information Act (DRTI Act) to get the same. He was invited to the office, given the ration card with all honour and was offered a cup of tea by the officer! Does not it sound like a fiction when a bureaucrat in India who is ill famous for his authoritarian, callous and ‘mai baap’ attitude, treats a man on the street with so much of respect and dignity and obliges him by doing his work? The use of the right to information (RTI) acts is gradually spreading in different parts of the Country. The observations suggest that many people are getting their work done from the government authorities without paying bribe or using jack, and in a time bound manner. The responsiveness and the accountability of the public servants toward the people are increasing and the involvement and participation of the people in the process of governance is on the rise. Broadly what is been observed is the use of RTI has initiated the process of gradual ‘power shift’ from the politicians and bureaucrats to the people at large.
In Delhi under the guidance of Parivartan-a citizens’ initiative on RTI, the poor people started a campaign and made wide use of DRTI Act in order to get their monthly rations regularly under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Since such a campaign was becoming roadblock for the ration shop owners to make money through forgery and black marketing, they unleashed a series of violence against the workers of parivartan including attempting to murder some of them. In protest, the people boycotted the ration for a month and then marched in a group to the Food and Supply Office to verify the records in order to see what happened to their boycotted ration. A large contingent of women of the area led and participated in the march. The poor, illiterate women were asserting their constitutional right to know and were demanding that their monthly entitlement is given to them in the atmosphere of non-violence and dignity. It was a classic instance of women’s empowerment. The government of Delhi budged to their demands and accepted many of the recommendations infusing transparency and facilitating accountability into the system.
This is not the only example where the poorest of the poor people succeeded in bringing about systemic changes in government functioning. In Rajasthan, in early nineties, some labourers under the leadership of MKSS (a NGO) enforced their right to see the muster rolls from the authorities as a matter of rule. This movement eventually pressurized the government to remove the serious anomalies existing in polices of rural development.
During the initial phase of PDS movement in Delhi, Triveni, a woman from a poorest of the poor family got hold of the records and cash memos through RTI showing the delivery of rations made to her. All of them were found to be forged. Fearing that the eventuality may lead to disastrous consequences, the ration shop owners first tried to bribe her with hefty amount; then threatened her with dire consequence. Having failed to influence her by these methods and knowing fully that she was equipped with the information to proceed against them, they compromised with her and promised her regular supply of rations. It is clear from this example that where right to information is at work bribe and threat fail to act.
A social audit of the civil works done by the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) in the Sundernagri area of Delhi was conducted by the people of the area with the help of ‘Parivartan’ after getting hold of all the relevant records under the RTI. During the process of verification, the number and extent of involvement of the local people including the supposedly voiceless illiterate mass were high beyond imagination. It was followed by a Jansunwai where all the people of the area assembled to testify to find the veracity of the documents vis-à-vis the work done in realty. People, especially the women testified fearlessly. The finding suggested that in more than 50% cases the works simply did not exist on ground, not to discuss about the quality of the work done, which was found to be very poor. Some people of stake tried to disrupt the meeting, but were driven away by the people who were highly agitated after knowing the findings. It was convincingly proved in the meeting that the mass possesses enormous power within it and that all other power (muscle and money) fade away when people wake up to assert their rights. In the Jansunwai, the executive engineer, who was invited to respond to the findings, did not have any convincing answer to the ghost works and many of the queries of the people. The Jansunwai brought about a visible change in the psyche and morale of the people in the area toward the officials. For the first time they were witnessing that the so-called Mai Baap can be made to answer to them because of the use of RTI.
The people of the area, hitherto unorganized, got themselves organized in form of Moholla Samitis etc to protect their common interest. They kept strict vigil on the construction of roads, installation of hand pumps etc during when they were taking place. The local MLA, who was hostile to the Jansunwai, who was sending threat massages and disrupting the proceedings, approached to Parivartan with a compromising and cooperative gesture after it. The MCD also responded the Jansunwai by passing favourable orders aiming at making the process more open and transparent; the Municipal Councilor offered transparency in all civil works.
In the Defence Colony area of New Delhi the social audit in going on. The people in this posse colony, contrary to the common perception, are coming in large numbers to take the lead. During these get together, many other issues of common interest like the fast running electric meters, privatization of water etc are coming up. Though Resident Welfare Association (RWA) already exists there, after being equipped with the weapon of RTI the same RWA now feels to be in a commanding position vis-à-vis the government authorities to redress many of their grievances. This example shows that the RTI has not only made the voice to the people more audible and effective but also has facilitated the individuals to share a common platform to fight for a common cause with a greater confidence.
The people of Seemapari area got hold of the electoral rolls by using RTI. When a survey was conducted nearly 16% of the total names were found to be bogus and nearly 20% of the eligible voters’ names were missing. From the finding it can very well be imagined how much scope it provides for rigging and bogus voting, and to what degree it can affect the outcome of voting process where the margin of victory is very narrow. Alarmed by this, the election authorities rectified most of the anomalies in a meeting with the people of that constituency. During this process, the idea of having direct interaction of the people with the candidates clicked the minds of the people. In a public gathering the all candidature of different political parties were summoned to respond to the queries of the people. What was conspicuous in the meeting was the functioning of true democracy and the establishment of master servant relationship it its real form.
The practice of right to information therefore is gradually ushering the era of genuine democracy by tilting the balance of power between the ruler and the ruled in favour of the latter.
Pradeep Baisakh
Nannu is a daily wage earner. He made many rounds to the Food and supply office to get a new ration card against the lost one, but to no avail. Finally, he filed an application under the Delhi Right to information Act (DRTI Act) to get the same. He was invited to the office, given the ration card with all honour and was offered a cup of tea by the officer! Does not it sound like a fiction when a bureaucrat in India who is ill famous for his authoritarian, callous and ‘mai baap’ attitude, treats a man on the street with so much of respect and dignity and obliges him by doing his work? The use of the right to information (RTI) acts is gradually spreading in different parts of the Country. The observations suggest that many people are getting their work done from the government authorities without paying bribe or using jack, and in a time bound manner. The responsiveness and the accountability of the public servants toward the people are increasing and the involvement and participation of the people in the process of governance is on the rise. Broadly what is been observed is the use of RTI has initiated the process of gradual ‘power shift’ from the politicians and bureaucrats to the people at large.
In Delhi under the guidance of Parivartan-a citizens’ initiative on RTI, the poor people started a campaign and made wide use of DRTI Act in order to get their monthly rations regularly under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Since such a campaign was becoming roadblock for the ration shop owners to make money through forgery and black marketing, they unleashed a series of violence against the workers of parivartan including attempting to murder some of them. In protest, the people boycotted the ration for a month and then marched in a group to the Food and Supply Office to verify the records in order to see what happened to their boycotted ration. A large contingent of women of the area led and participated in the march. The poor, illiterate women were asserting their constitutional right to know and were demanding that their monthly entitlement is given to them in the atmosphere of non-violence and dignity. It was a classic instance of women’s empowerment. The government of Delhi budged to their demands and accepted many of the recommendations infusing transparency and facilitating accountability into the system.
This is not the only example where the poorest of the poor people succeeded in bringing about systemic changes in government functioning. In Rajasthan, in early nineties, some labourers under the leadership of MKSS (a NGO) enforced their right to see the muster rolls from the authorities as a matter of rule. This movement eventually pressurized the government to remove the serious anomalies existing in polices of rural development.
During the initial phase of PDS movement in Delhi, Triveni, a woman from a poorest of the poor family got hold of the records and cash memos through RTI showing the delivery of rations made to her. All of them were found to be forged. Fearing that the eventuality may lead to disastrous consequences, the ration shop owners first tried to bribe her with hefty amount; then threatened her with dire consequence. Having failed to influence her by these methods and knowing fully that she was equipped with the information to proceed against them, they compromised with her and promised her regular supply of rations. It is clear from this example that where right to information is at work bribe and threat fail to act.
A social audit of the civil works done by the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) in the Sundernagri area of Delhi was conducted by the people of the area with the help of ‘Parivartan’ after getting hold of all the relevant records under the RTI. During the process of verification, the number and extent of involvement of the local people including the supposedly voiceless illiterate mass were high beyond imagination. It was followed by a Jansunwai where all the people of the area assembled to testify to find the veracity of the documents vis-à-vis the work done in realty. People, especially the women testified fearlessly. The finding suggested that in more than 50% cases the works simply did not exist on ground, not to discuss about the quality of the work done, which was found to be very poor. Some people of stake tried to disrupt the meeting, but were driven away by the people who were highly agitated after knowing the findings. It was convincingly proved in the meeting that the mass possesses enormous power within it and that all other power (muscle and money) fade away when people wake up to assert their rights. In the Jansunwai, the executive engineer, who was invited to respond to the findings, did not have any convincing answer to the ghost works and many of the queries of the people. The Jansunwai brought about a visible change in the psyche and morale of the people in the area toward the officials. For the first time they were witnessing that the so-called Mai Baap can be made to answer to them because of the use of RTI.
The people of the area, hitherto unorganized, got themselves organized in form of Moholla Samitis etc to protect their common interest. They kept strict vigil on the construction of roads, installation of hand pumps etc during when they were taking place. The local MLA, who was hostile to the Jansunwai, who was sending threat massages and disrupting the proceedings, approached to Parivartan with a compromising and cooperative gesture after it. The MCD also responded the Jansunwai by passing favourable orders aiming at making the process more open and transparent; the Municipal Councilor offered transparency in all civil works.
In the Defence Colony area of New Delhi the social audit in going on. The people in this posse colony, contrary to the common perception, are coming in large numbers to take the lead. During these get together, many other issues of common interest like the fast running electric meters, privatization of water etc are coming up. Though Resident Welfare Association (RWA) already exists there, after being equipped with the weapon of RTI the same RWA now feels to be in a commanding position vis-à-vis the government authorities to redress many of their grievances. This example shows that the RTI has not only made the voice to the people more audible and effective but also has facilitated the individuals to share a common platform to fight for a common cause with a greater confidence.
The people of Seemapari area got hold of the electoral rolls by using RTI. When a survey was conducted nearly 16% of the total names were found to be bogus and nearly 20% of the eligible voters’ names were missing. From the finding it can very well be imagined how much scope it provides for rigging and bogus voting, and to what degree it can affect the outcome of voting process where the margin of victory is very narrow. Alarmed by this, the election authorities rectified most of the anomalies in a meeting with the people of that constituency. During this process, the idea of having direct interaction of the people with the candidates clicked the minds of the people. In a public gathering the all candidature of different political parties were summoned to respond to the queries of the people. What was conspicuous in the meeting was the functioning of true democracy and the establishment of master servant relationship it its real form.
The practice of right to information therefore is gradually ushering the era of genuine democracy by tilting the balance of power between the ruler and the ruled in favour of the latter.
(The author is a Right to Information(RTI) Activist)
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