That's a good question.Only to inspire you I would share one of my experiences.In 2005 in early days after the introduction of RTI act, I asked the same question to one of guru of the most popular social scientist Mr.Gopal Rao in A.P.He said first start with your self first and preach others.Then I filed my first application in the local municipality,where in asked about the colony lay out details,about the yearly tax collected from my ward, about the works done in our ward in that year, about the sanitation felicities provided in our ward, details of labor working their attendance register, their wages etc.and weather these details are maintained in section 41b in the municipality.After six months of my fallow up I could pull the municipal commissioner to the information commission, mean while the commissioner is forced to take up most of the actions on ground and maintain the activities on record simultaneously.Later Grater Hyderabad Municipal corporation has gave an award in 2007 to our colony as the best maintained colony.In continuation, on sharing my experiences with RTI and developing our colony I have became one of the main contributors to initiate an umbrella organisation with more than tree thousand resident welfare associations called United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations(U-FERWAS) of Greater Hyderabad.
So what I meant to say is every person would react by seeing the bad governance and corrupt practices but a successful activist would find several ways and better alternatives by getting in to action and continuing the journey and become a path finder to the problems.
Once again I insist you to see the problems with reality, we can find several problems surrounding us which need simple constant fallow up to find solutions just by questioning the systems with proper reasoning.
V.V.RAO
Organizing secretary
U-FERWAS GHMC
09849064309
On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 4:49 PM, K N Jagadesh kumar <jkgroup999@gmail.com> wrote:
i completly agree with you, but how to start?K N Jagadesh kumar--On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 2:45 PM, RTI AP <rtiap2005@gmail.com> wrote:
Mr.M.K.Gupta,I would like to share similar incidence to make you understand sensitivity in the governance. As convener of election watch A.P,and National coordinator Citizen for Verifiability, transparency and accountability(VETA), after 2009 election watch A.P in July, I have filed a PILL in supreme court questioning the accountability of EVMs in the elections in response to my RTI application with election commission(E.C). After getting a positive order in supreme court from K.G.Balakrishnan,directing me and the team supporting the cause to get clarification with the E.C,today it has became a national debate after one and half years of fight and we are yet to get the answers.In between we were humiliated several times by the Election commission, before we could establish the fact.Along with a research paper and a video recording of how our team exposed the possibilities of EVM from E.C are getting tampered are displayed it in our website www.indianevm.com.While our team is acting like a whistle blower to make the EVM tamper proof, instead of appreciating our efforts E.C/police took us to the task by filing criminal cases on our technical experts on theft case of EVM from Bombay storage and arrested , where as internationally reputed electronic society in US gave award in appreciation of the efforts made in the largest democracy to make the EVM accountable. To day whole nation along with the E.C realized the impotence of the issues we raised on EVMs for a free and fare elections. Know E.C is forced to take up the issue after conducting an all party meet and inviting suggestions to add a paper trail to the existing EVM.
I feel this is how the systems in India are working with lot of non democratic attitudes,I thing we are fighting with this type of attitudes to get reforms in electoral processes first and secondly with the real issue of EVMs accountability.This is how we have taken more than one and half year time to sensitize the election commission to accept them to take up the subject on EVMs. When you look in to the whole story of how few activists from the different fields including professionals from civil society, technical experts, psephologist,legal experts, politicians and from several other fields along with the NRIs international reputed technical experts and approaching the E.C with lot of correspondence on one side and facing the acid tests from the E.C/police, by getting arrest of Hari Prasad in Bombay (our technical expert) and our counter parts as international experts supporting the cause Prof. Alex from U.S and Mrs Rope from Germany getting detention at the Delhi airport for 18 hours, where in several investigating agencies like RAW,SEBI, Interpol have interrogated us, all our phones where taped for several months.Later they realized and now inviting us to give suggestions to improvise the systems. On my repeated questioning about the security measures and records maintained by the E.C,they failed to give me the information but last week news came in the media about missing of four thousand EVMs in A.P, so far no one is arrested why? How do you believe the elections in A.P are free and fare?In addition to this, today all the political parties including the ruling parties raised this issue both in the parliament and with E.C.This it self shows the existing non sensitive nature of the systems in this country.While in Germany,Holland, Ireland and few other countries they have banned the use of EVMs after getting simple resistance from the activists .In India we are yet to fight with the real issue on EVMs as we got an invitation from the E.C to give suggestions on 23rd Dec ,weather to go by paper trail to EVM or to go by paper ballot.Hope we are nearing to achieve our goal of making the electoral system fool proof.WHY I AM TRYING TO SAY ALL THIS TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE NON SENSITIVITY IN THE SYSTEMS,so to over come this we need to fight with understanding, commitment, proper planning and sharing of experiences.Please find my article in wall-street journal on "RTI activists under threat"attached.After seeing few cases of attacks on RTI activists in A.P& across the country,what I understand is there are few people in the name of RTI activists instead of contributing to correct the systems they are vectiuos in asking information and few others trying to settle down the scores,by asking irrelevant and unreasonable questions with the PIOs.We should understand that PIOs are not the ultimate culprits in this existing corrupt systems in public authorities, there are several factors which are influencing non availability of information and reasons for these attacks on RTI activists should be analysed in depth. Try to strengthen all those areas in the public authorities to provide information readily to an RTI applicant first. Once again I suggest you to concentrate on sec 41b updating of records which ultimately solve several RTI issues.What do you do with the list? It would only scare activist like Rajeshwar. In military services only success stories of some solders would be taken as inspiration to motivate beginners entering in to the field, but not of every solder who died in the war.Hope you take it positively.V.V.RAONational coordinator VETA09849064309
On Tue, Dec 14, 2010 at 8:38 AM, M.K. Gupta <mkgupta100@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
After raking a sensitive issue, Mr Rajeshwar goes into hibernation for many days. This is being dealt with insensitivity and casually by Mr. Rao. He should either disclose the list or admit that no such list is in his possession.
From: RTI AP <rtiap2005@gmail.com>
To: humjanenge@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tue, 14 December, 2010 8:45:08 PM
Subject: Re: [HumJanenge] UNITY and Unification in RTI movement
Dear all,Its good to see you all giving your reactions on implementation of RTI. As a convener of a active Civil society organisation Social audit council on information Right (SACIR) from Hyderabad, A.P at the national level I would be happy to share my view .After conducting independent RTI implementation review meetings for the past five years with several organisations from the village level up to the city level and with all stake holders of RTI act, particularly by organizing two mass awareness campaigns at the state level in all districts of A.P, I feel every activist should concentrate on up dating the records under section 41(b) of RTI act in every public authority.Section 41b is the heart of the RTI act2005 which will up date the information with insides of every public authority and readily kept open to all.If it is achieved, the reason for our agony being non accountability and corruption in governance at different levels can be addressed. Let us prepare our selves to strengthen the systems so as to get good governance.Let us start at some point to make success stories by filing applications questioning whether public authorities are maintaining the 17 manual columns under the section 41b.With out putting first step we can not travel a long way to achieve our goals.So let us all start the campaign from individual level by filing applications asking about section 41b.AP information commission have successfully produced four annual reports so far which is possible with the efforts from civil society activists working for the last five years constantly.Unless you ask nothing is available.V.V.RAOConvener SACIR09849064309
On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 7:08 PM, bimal khemani <bimal.khemani@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
--- On Sun, 12/12/10, Ravindran P M <pmravindran@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Ravindran P M <pmravindran@gmail.com>To: humjanenge@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [HumJanenge] UNITY and Unification in RTI movement
Date: Sunday, 12 December, 2010, 10:06 PM
Many on this or other forums have sought this info. Please post it to these groups or to me on my personal id.regards n bwraviOn Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:48 PM, young cyber indians <cyberyouth@tightmail.com> wrote:
Dear Friends
Many of National RTI Forum working committee members are on list of
suspected maoist / terrorist affiliated RTI activists whose phone and
internet were tapped which was obtained by AID under RTI. If any
member wants the list of such persons they can send me email.
K Rajeshwar Rao.
-------------------------------------------------
On Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 11:20 PM, Sarbajit Roy <sroy.mb@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Mr. Varkey
>
> Your answer is quite evidently contained within your question. So who
> am I to disagree with the view of any Hon'ble Court?
>
> On a larger note, there are many unanswered questions about the bonafides
> of these 2 Thakurs and the self-serving NGOs they have set up. for instance
> the so-called nationl RTI forum is set up as a trust with only themselves as
> Trustees. The office-bearers are packed with persons belonging to certain
> communities etc etc.. There are many unanswered questions about
> Dr Nutan Thakur circulated on other RTI groups which she had failed to
> answer comprehensively.
>
> Sarbajit
>
> On 12/9/10, Baby Varkey <babyjohn.varkey@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear Mr Sarbajit Roy
>>
>> On another RTI group an IPS officer (Amitav Thakur) and his wife from
>> National RTI forum have written that Lucknow High Court has dismissed their
>> writ petition seeking an enquiry into corrupt judges of UP which Hon'ble
>> Supreme Court had commented adversely upon. It appears that
>> Hon'ble Lucknow bench characterised the petitioner Nutan Thakur as cheap
>> publicity seekers.
>>
>> Your valued comments please
>>
>> B. Varkey (Adv.)
>>
>
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