Right to information website for Maharashtra<

Right to information website for Maharashtra

These web pages seek to arm civic and social activists with the basic information they need to have to start harnessing the Maharashtra Right to Information Act.

Prakash Kardaley

Thanks to the relentless crusade by social activists led by Mr Anna Hazare, citizens of Maharashtra state in India were empowered in December 2000 with a statutory right to demand transparency in the affairs of  the state government. The Maharashtra Right to Information Act, 2000, however, was a flawed legislation.

Hazare kept up his crusade for an effective legislation and thanks to his efforts citizens now have an improved version promulgated by an ordinance in September 2002. It is for responsible citizens to ensure transparency in the affairs of the state government with judicious application of this empowerment. The legislation must be used by the right people for a genuine cause.

The greater is the number of such genuine activists, the higher will be the degree of   transparency. These web pages seek to arm civic and social activists with the basic information they need to have to start   harnessing the Maharashtra Right to Information Act.

That is why I have created  a geocities website on the Right to Information movement in Maharashtra at http://geocities.com/mahadhikar

The site contains the following:

Full text of the Maharashtra Right to Information Ordinance,  2002

Background of the RTI legislations in   Maharashtra

Citizens of Pune successfully seek judicial intervention to make bureaucracy responsive to RTI

Background of the writ petitions

Pune Municipal Corporation appoints Public Information Officer

Three earlier directives in Maharashtra which were conveniently forgotten

Research paper by a South African student on the current RTI movement in Maharashtra and Delhi

Synopsis of the speech by anti-corruption crusader Shri Annasaheb Hazare in Pune

 Your comments are welcome on pmk1504@vsnl.net