Get some help with that Right to Information application.

Get some help with that Right to Information application.

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Aug 30, 2012 : For around three years, through a series of applications and visits to government offices, Hemalatha Chidananda, a city resident, suffered through an exceptionally long procedure to obtain a ration card.

Frustrated with bureaucratic apathy, she filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act six months ago, asking why her ration card had not been handed over.

The reply took her by surprise: there was a delay in printing the card, as the government had not appointed personnel for printing. She filed a complaint based on this, and getting the card is all but guaranteed now.

That the RTI Act is an important tool for citizens to ensure government bodies are accountable is beyond debate. However, for many, including Ms. Hemalatha, the procedure itself is obfuscated by misinformation and lack of information.

It is here that the Mangalore-based group White Whistle comes into the picture. “They advised me on what to write in the application, where to submit it and what to do after I got the response,” she said.

Making it easier

Started in May 2011 by 25-year-old Harsha Raj Gatty, the non-registered, not-for-profit body (whose name comes from ‘white paper’ and ‘whistleblower’) guides applicants in the process of filing an RTI application as well as the specifics of the application that would enable a suitable response.

“Through college I was educated about the Act, and now, I attempt to educate others about it. This was started to bridge the gap between people who either don’t use or misuse the RTI [Act], and the government, which has got used to lack of accountability,” he said.

Formidable team

Gradually, the forum gained recognition, and now has over 39 active members, consisting of former bureaucrats, government and police officials, journalists and academicians, who “teach and guide” people.

“People who were a part of the system (bureaucracy) know the language of the government. They are the best people to guide applicants,” said Mr. Gatty.

White Whistle has also been involved in filing around 70 RTI pleas on issues such as banking, welfare schemes and allotment of housing to backward classes.

Anonymity

Apart from advice, the forum also offers anonymity to those seeking it, said Mr. Gatty. He explains: “If a person from the region wants to file an RTI anonymously, we ask one of our contacts in other States to file it here through post. This way, the department here cannot trace the person who has asked for the information.”

With a combined vast experience in RTI laws and the optimisation of an application, members of the forum were invited to deliver lectures and dispelling misconceptions, to government officials, students and social workers, among others.

Now armed with an RTI fellowship from the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Gatty seeks to expand the reach of the forum.

The ambitious plans seem to be on the right track, with the forum having been invited for talks in places such as Tumkur and Goa in the coming month.

 

 

Courtesy: The Hindu