Friends,
In the condolence meeting held at Lucknow office of National RTI Forum, we
decided
to create a permanent fund named "RTI Fund" with its account at PNB,
Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. We said that we shall put all its details if the fund on
the website nationalrtiforum.org for everyone to see.
On this a very important question was asked by one of our dear friends. He
said- “Why does an RTI activist need money? An RTI application needs only
sheets of paper and maybe the cost of computer printouts and the Rs 10 to file
it. He / she may need bus fare or auto fare to the venue of submitting the
application. Now what else is this fund for?”
Each of his statements is correct to some extent, though there are other added
expenditures like going to the State/ Central Information Commissions (on more
than one occasion) and so on. But then these are expenditures that each of the
RTRI activist needs to incur on his/her own because as the saying goes- “No
pain, no gain.” Whether one is seeking the information for private purposes or
for public use, the fact is that it is they as individuals who are doing this.
And hence, they could be expected to incur the expenditure on their own.
But what my friend has failed to appreciate is the fact that there are many
things beyond this simple Rs 10 application form. The moment the RTI process
gets
triggered and the RTI seeker starts getting information that could be
detrimental for others, the entire scenario starts changing. In the same vein,
if the RTI applicant also pursues the matter to try to conclude it to the
logical end, hell lot of problems start cropping up from everywhere. He/she
tends to get personal enemies who start believing this RTI seeker as being
dangerous to their existence. Such person could be a private person or an
influential government official or a deadly combination of both. Then these
people might start using all possible methodologies to curb, disturb, dislodge
or even eliminate such pestering RTI activist. This could include everything
from using government mechanism and lawful provisions subtly and cunningly. It
could go up to the extent of threatening with dire consequences or using
influence to harm the RTI activist financially, so that their work gets badly
affected. In short, these RTI activists find themselves in truly precarious
conditions.
Now, those of the RTI activists who are financially and socially well-off are
capable
of resisting such mala-fide and malicious attempts successfully but what about
a very large number of such activists who hardly have any financial back-up.
What
about the family members of these RTI activists whose family-member is being
hounded and financially ruined only because of social service? What about the
families of those who have been killed and murdered only because of the RTI
activities?
Hence, it is important that we all realize that RTI is not only about Rs. 10
application
but is a whole set of accompanied actions and subsequent socio-economic
interrelationships where monetary support becomes a matter of prime importance.
I never claim that a “RTI Fund” by a small organization by the National RTI
Forum is going to be the only solution. But I will be definitely say that it
would be a small beginning in this process and we need to have many such
efforts. Today the time has come for all to realize that RTI as a tool for
social change has become so potent that it can lead to a RTI activist getting
hounded, tortured and even murdered. Hence every right thinking and socially
aware person will have to stand by them. Such “RTI Funds” are the need of the
hour. We have created one such “RTI Fund” through which we would try to be of
assistance in our limited capacity to those whose work is getting suffered
solely
because of the lack of financial support and also those whose family is
suffering because of RTI activities.
I would request everyone to support such ideas and to contribute to these “RTI
Funds” including ours in their own way.
Amitabh Thakur,
President,
National RTI Forum,
Lucknow
# 94155-34526
