Post your RTI Success here
If we post such success stories here, new members will get motivated and learn to file an RTI. Share the following here:
- The Decision of the Public Authority revealing information which is of larger public interest
- The Decision of the First Appellate Authority by which the information was obtained
- The Decision of CIC / IC by which the information was obtained
- Any motivating story you heard / read in Print / Social Media
825 topics in this forum
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- 3 replies
- 2.9k views
In a marital discord case, the wife was demanding Rs.15,000/- as monthly maintenance charges on the basis of a return of income filed by the husband showing an income of Rs.5 lakhs odd. This came as a shock to the husband who had just started as a medical practioner after completing studies, and had not even filed any return of income. He approached the Department and filed an application under the RTI to know who has filed the return under the acknowledgement number as sumbitted before the Court. He also enclosed a copy of the 'forged' return. It was found that on that ack. number, another person had filed the return. Though the name of that another person was not discl…
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IIT scholar uses RTI to crack stipend delay
by ganpat1956- 1 reply
- 3.5k views
MUMBAI: The Right to Information Act has come to the rescue of hundreds of IIT research scholars who were unable to get their research grants on time due to an accounting problem. The application software cell of IIT Powai has now developed an accounting software to streamline the system after a research scholar used the RTI Act to find out the reason behind the delay in getting his stipend on time. Amit Jariwala, an MTech mechanical engineering student at IIT Powai, almost never got his monthly research stipend on time. "At times it was delayed by almost a month. When we inquired with the accounts department, we were told that they did not get the attendan…
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- 4 replies
- 2.6k views
Story of citizens using the RTI Act to make the administration work according to rule. This story shows how powerful RTI can be in the hands of well meaning citizens who wish to make the system work in favour of the underprivileged. *For Ration Cards - Everyday is a Saturday* Kalol taluka in Panchmahals district belongs to one of the less developed parts of vibrant Gujarat. Panchmahals is home to fairly large sized communities of adivasis who have not benefitted from the economic development that has made the Patels and the Shahs well known across American and European business houses. Additionally, several hundred of families belonging to the minority community l…
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RTI brings justice to man sacked by trust
by ganpat1956- 0 replies
- 2.7k views
MUMBAI: The Right to Information Act has come to the rescue of a former trustee of a charitable educational trust who was illegally removed by presenting signatures of dead and fictitious members. The original papers of the trust's no-confidence motion, which were in the charity commissioner's office, were substituted with the forged papers in alleged collusion with the office staff. The charity commissioner's office then passed an order to oust Qamar S Qazi, the trustee. Seventy-three-old Qamar S Qazi, a former customs official and trustee of Anjuman Tarakki Achra, has been fighting the case for the last seven years. It was when Qazi applied to the charity comm…
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- 1 reply
- 2.9k views
25% of our population in India today lives below the poverty line. The line is defined for rural India as consumption worth Rs 229/- per person a month. In simple words if you belong to a rural household of five members and your total monthly consumption is less than Rs 1,145/- a month or Rs 11,000/ per year then you fall in the category of below the poverty line. Being even slightly above that does not solve your problem at all. If this annual household income crosses the modest sum of Rs 11,000/- then you are considered to have risen above the poverty line. The line provides a theoretical explanation for looking at the poor as a category to be taken care of through targ…
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- 0 replies
- 3k views
According to the Gujarat Panchayat Act it is mandatory for every Panchayat to set up Social Justice Committees (SJC). These Committees are statutory bodies meant to ensure the participation of weaker sections of society such as women, dalits and tribals in the decision-making process of the Gram Panchayat. The elected members of the Panchayat nominate adult representatives belonging to these communities to the SJC in every village. The SJC has a distinct identity within the Panchayat structure. It is empowered to identify developmental requirements in the village with particular emphasis on the needs of these marginalized communities and make recommendations to the Gr…
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- 3.7k views
This is the literal translation of a news item that appeared in a local daily "Pudhari" dtd the 04th of July'06 Pune Municipal corporation "PMC" has used Right to Information act to obtain information from sales tax dept. PMC's efforts to obtain information about turnover of some merchants failed. The Octroi dept of PMC knew that many merchants smuggle their goods into Pune without paying octroi. So the PMC wanted to ask about the sales tax paid by these merchants, but all their efforts failed, sales tax dept was not cooperating, so finally they used RTI to obtain such information. Initially they filed a requisition asking information of sales tax paid by cl…
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Rajasthan villagers use RTI to end woes
by maneesh- 0 replies
- 2.5k views
Residents of a village in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district have joined hands to put an end to the practice of selling grains from ration shops in the black market by using the Right to Information. Revat Ram and his friends used the Act to get all records of their ration shop in Himmatsar village and exposed how grains meant for the poor were being black-marketed at a ration shop in Bikaner. After the move, the villagers got the dealer removed. ‘’They threatened us and also offered money. But we refused, because we wanted to ensure that people in our village get the grains they deserve from the government. And we did not get scared in fighting for the rights…
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Rickshawpuller benefits from RTI
by maneesh- 0 replies
- 3.9k views
[ATTACH]24[/ATTACH] It has been a year since the Right To Information Act became law and people are starting to see its positive impact in their lives. Mazloom Nadaf, a 70-year old rickshaw puller in Bihar has built his own house after exercising his right to know. But he spent a long time to get his home under the Indira Awas Yogana - the country's national housing scheme. Five years after he applied, authorities demanded Rs 5000 to process his application. But he refused to given in and instead fought back with the help of the Right To Information Act in his success story. NGO role Nadaf approached the legal aid centre of an NGO working in Madhu…
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Karnataka villagers insist on Right to Food
by maneesh- 0 replies
- 2.5k views
People in Rural Karnataka have combined the campaigns for the Right to Information and the Right to Food to fight hunger People in rural Karnataka have combined campaigns for the Right to Information and the Right to Food to fight hunger. Poor villagers have successfully participated in social audits and public hearings to demand that the rations due to them are allotted to them at the correct prices. "They were not giving us our monthly rations. We complained, and the officials invited us for a meeting. Now we get rice at Rs 3 wheat at Rs 2 a kg," says Chandramma, a member of the self help group in the Chennagiri Village. "There are nine programmes of foo…
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Citizen uses RTI to get elusive pension
by maneesh- 0 replies
- 2.2k views
The beaming face of Laxmi Devi says it all. The 80-year-old has finally got her pension after she'd almost given up hope, thanks to the Right To Information Act. Laxmi Devi lives with her daughter, who works as a domestic help, in Khirki village. In May 2005, she applied for an old-age pension to MCD. But despite numerous visits to the office, there was no sign of a pension. Finally, she approached an RTI camp organised by Satark Nagarik Sanghathan, an NGO. She was told her application was missing and she would have to apply again. She did. And promptly got approval for a monthly pension of Rs 350 in December. She will receive a cheque of Rs 1,750 (for five months…
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- 3 replies
- 2.4k views
Did you all read about the humble tailor who hauled up bmc for unsatisfactory methods used for paving footpaths with interlocking concrete blocks using the RTI? the results were amazing and his courage and persistence are to be appreciated.
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Empowering middle-class, 'rightfully'
by ganpat1956- 0 replies
- 2.1k views
India's middle class has amply proved over the past year that it is up and running for causes that matter. Be it running around for radical reform, lighting candles for justice or garnering support for a long-term change, the great Indian middle class has been there and done it to all. CNN-IBN celebrates the spirit of the middle-class activism in a special series - The Rise Of The Radical Middle. New Delhi/Mumbai: Information is power and the great Indian middle class has a new tool to wield it. The Right to Information Act - since it came into force last year - has been a driving force for many who now have the means to take matters in their own hands. In the th…
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80 Year old gets the pension after RTI
by Shrawan- 2 replies
- 3.1k views
NEW DELHI: The beaming face of Laxmi Devi says it all. The 80-year-old has finally got her pension after she'd almost given up hope, thanks to the Right To Information Act. Laxmi Devi lives with her daughter, who works as a domestic help, in Khirki village. In May 2005, she applied for an old-age pension to MCD. But despite numerous visits to the office, there was no sign of a pension. Finally, she approached an RTI camp organised by Satark Nagarik Sanghathan, an NGO. She was told her application was missing and she would have to apply again. She did. And promptly got approval for a monthly pension of Rs 350 in December. She will receive a cheque of Rs…
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- 2 replies
- 3.6k views
How RTI Act came to his rescue Karthik Subramanian A resident has resolved his property tax row "I was made to run from pillar to post despite a court ruling in my favour. Ultimately it was RTI that helped me." CHENNAI : A residents' welfare activist from Pattabiram has used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to settle a 15-year-long dispute with the Avadi Municipality over property tax assessment. Augustine Roy Rozario, a resident of Cholan Na…
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How RTI Act came to his rescue
by ganpat1956- 0 replies
- 2.8k views
CHENNAI : A residents' welfare activist from Pattabiram has used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to settle a 15-year-long dispute with the Avadi Municipality over property tax assessment. Augustine Roy Rozario, a resident of Cholan Nagar in Pattabiram, said he had disputed the municipality's assessment of his annual rental value and subsequently the half-yearly property tax in 1989. "The officials had fixed the tax twice as much as that for other similar houses nearby. I had submitted a revision petition within 30 days of the assessment and subsequently filed petitions at the Tax Appeal Committee meetings. They never revised my tax and ultimately issued a not…
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RTI to the rescue
by ganpat1956- 1 reply
- 2.3k views
It took a strong dose of the Right to Information (RTI) Act for 62-year-old Shivlal Pethad to wake the BMC from its slumber. With the help of the Act, he not only managed to get his bungalow transferred in his name, but has filed another application under the RTI Act to nail the BMC for causing him harassment. His battle Pethad’s woes began on October 24, 2005, when he applied for transfer of the bungalow at Dattaguru Society, Deonar, in his name. Soon after, the BMC sent a surveyor for inspection. Pethad said, “I showed the officer all relevant documents and he expressed satisfaction.â€� But that didn’t help much. He was made to run from pillar to po…
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RTI ensures widow's victory
by ganpat1956- 2 replies
- 2.9k views
MUMBAI: "Give me justice or just hang me if I am at fault," says 76-year-old Laxmi Narayan Adval. Frail and fatigued, the widow single-handedly battled corrupt officials in Mulund municipal ward office for 21-long years and finally achieved justice in 2006. Although perseverance prevailed, it was Adval's plea under the Right to Information Act which helped her retain ownership of her plot in Mulund, besides getting sanctions from the ward office for construction of shops, an assurance ignored by the BMC since 1985. Adval put up a fight with corrupt officials who tried all tricks to compel her to sell off the land to builders. "I had sat on a five-day dharna outside t…
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Family uses RTI to get fee refund
by ganpat1956- 0 replies
- 15.3k views
MUMBAI: Imagine saving a small sum every month for your kids' education and then losing a huge chunk of that amount to a private college management which refuses to refund the fee when you opt out for a better course. That's what happened to Rajesh Talreja, a clerical employee of a nationalised bank, who had to fight tooth and nail to get his money back so that he could get his daughter admitted to a course of her choice. Rajesh and his wife, a receptionist-cum-telephone operator with a private firm, always told their daughters that nothing but knowledge will stay with them forever. Despite financial constraints, the couple from Mira Road in north Mumbai ha…
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Information law lifts Indian poor
by maneesh- 0 replies
- 2.2k views
For two decades the people of Sunder Nagri, on the north-east edge of the Indian capital, Delhi, had to make do without sewers. As the alleyways and backyards of their slum festered, local officials kept making and breaking promises to clean things up. Then, local businessman Noshe Ali decided to take matters into his own hands. Using a new law that forces the authorities to disclose information, he discovered what everyone in Sunder Nagri had already guessed - that there were no plans to dig any sewers. Armed with this knowledge, he persuaded the Indian capital's chief minister to authorise a budget, and work started within a year. "This place used to…
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A case from Tamilnadu
by ganpat1956- 4 replies
- 3k views
The South Indian Fishermen Association had petitioned the State Fisheries Dept., on Sept. 08, to furnish the names and addresses of fishermen who died during fishing operations between Jan.2000 and Au.2006. As the dept. had failed to reply even after two months, the petitioner association had also filed an appeal. This was highlighted by the Chennai edition of Indian Express in their issue dated 14.11.2006. The very next day the department has furnished a 76-page reply with district-wise details, including names and addresses if fishermen who died during their venture into the sea and the amount of compensation given to the families of the deceased fishermen.
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- 1 reply
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New Delhi: Krishna Devi Jhalani's grouse was that her application for renewal of passport was not processed for more than eight months. Fed up with the attitude of the Regional Passport Office, she knocked at the doors of the Central Information Commission (CIC). In an important judgement, the CIC directed the Ministry of External Affiars to take strict action against the Regional Passport Officer and said that the passport be given to Jhalani within 15 days. This brought a smile on the face of this 90-year-old. "I am happy that I will be getting the passport and I welcome the decision," says Jhalani, the appellant. This was a case of gross injustice to an e…
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RTI books two under anti-corruption
by Shrawan- 1 reply
- 12.2k views
MUMBAI: Two officials attached to the office of the deputy collector (encroachments) in Mulund were on Thursday arrested by the anti-corruption bureau of the Mumbai police. The duo, Prakash Waghmare and Kisan Nalawade, have been booked for pocketing cash meant for victims of last year's deluge. The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) started investigations in the case after receiving an application from two Kurla-based activists in February. The activists, Santosh Pawar and Sanjay Tiwari, had demanded information from the collector's office under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Pawar then wrote to the ACB stating that the chawl where he stayed at Kajupada …
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RTI Exposes World bank mal practice in delhi
by armyguy- 0 replies
- 3.2k views
This RTI is a powerful tool to expose major policy decisions. Recently a major breakthrough happened with effort in Delhi to privatize water supply in the city. Apparently, this was a proposed World Bank funded effort. The proposal was on since the mid nineties in complete secrecy. However, some news leaked out in to the press, and an RTI petition was filed asking for the files on this process. At first there was a lot of resistance, but finally the files were made public, and the story was shocking. Apparently, the World Bank was arm twisting and almost dictating policy to the government. The process of privatization (or any government work) takes place with bi…
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- 2 replies
- 7.7k views
MKSS and Jan Sunwais Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) is a workers and farmers solidarity group, which is dedicated to ensuring fair working conditions and daily wages for daily wage earners and farmers. MKSS has famously used the method of Jan Sunwai (public hearing) to raise awareness of the practical value of the right to information for poor people. MKSS has been a leader in the national campaign for right to information and continues to use the right to information to empower local people to root out corruption and hold their government representatives to account. Under the slogan 'Our Money-Our Accounts’, MKSS workers and villagers organised themselves t…
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