FINALLY THE CRIMINAL STUDENT LEADERS FIND THEIR MATCH
The Vice Chancellor of the Lucknow University Professor Ram Prakash Singh has shown rare courage in holding the bull of campus hooliganism by its horns. The LU, like most of the campuses in north India was taken over by criminals in the garb of students who were patronized by opportunist national political parties. These so called student leaders, who are neither students nor leaders, hope to catch the attention of one of the parties so that they may use campus politics as a stepping stone into the state or national level politics. If one gets elected to one of the three important posts of any student union of a major university, then sooner or later one is ensured of a ticket from one of the major political parties to contest the assembly or parliamentary elections.
I, as a student with a rosy picture of politics as an instrument to bring about social change, had contested the position of representative of Institute of Technology to the Banaras Hindu University Students’ Union in 1985. It was a shocking experience even at that time and at such a level as university politics that I found the candidates for the big three posts, President, Vice President and General Secretary, asking me to align with them on the basis of a common caste and offering me free unlimited viewing of cinema in the Halls in city and liquor if needed for students who could pledge their votes in exchange. After having won the election for the representative’s post, attendance at the first few meetings of the Students’ Union was sufficient to disillusion me of the Indian electoral politics for life. The students who won or ran for the top three posts did very well in their political career subsequently. The Vice President at that time Rajesh Mishra is the Congress MP from Varanasi presently. The General Secretray O. P. Singh, was a minister in the last BJP Government in UP. A former President of the Union Manoj Sinha also became a MP for BJP from Ghazipur. Satya Prakash Sonkar, who ran for a post in that election but did not win, also became a MLA later.
While it may be a good opportunity for these student leaders to maintain their student status and indulge in campus politics so long as they have not won an election or become sufficiently important (read notorious) so that they cannot be ignored by the mainstream political parties, the university suffers in general because of them. They contribute to deteriorating law and order situation on campus, often forcing the VCs to close the universities sine die. The academic activity takes a back seat so long as the political heat is on. The sessions are delayed and sincere students are losers. It is virtually impossible under these circumstances that professors or researchers would engage in any serious research activity. Instead of enhancing the standards of these seats of learning the faculty members have to bother about how to just keep the normal affairs going.
I can perfectly understand the predicament of Professor R.P. Singh, as I had to myself face the hooliganism of these student leaders. The occasion was a programme organized in the honour of 40 visiting Pakistani guests in August 2005 at the prestigious Malviya Bhavan of LU. Since the programme was being held at LU we also decided to invite the then LUSU President Rajpal Kashyap as a representative of the student community to share the dais along with other dignitaries. The other student leaders present there also wanted to sit on the stage without realizing the seriousness of the programme or being considerate of the guests from across the border. We put our foot down and told the student leaders that there was no scope for any other student leader to join the dais. A melee followed and there was attempt by these so called student leaders to compete with each other in making their presence felt. Each one of them appeared more threatening than the other and they continued to hover around the stage while the programme was in progress. Some of them also said some abusive things about the organizers, especially the ladies.
Much to our embarrassment, with Pakistani guests as witness, we decided to protest against the unruly behaviour of the LU students by boycotting the snacks which were organized by the Union for the Pakistani guests. The Pakistani guests not knowing what to do just walked out along with us. Before making the exit I had announced that I would never organize any further event in LU.
Frankly, I think the LU needs an overhaul. It must be rid of all its goonda elements. Having observed the student politics at BHU and now at LU, I had never thought that it was possible. When Professor R.P. Singh had taken over as V.C. of LU and used to talk about making an IIT out of LU, we had thought that he would get disillusioned soon. But he has demonstrated the guts and can take on not only the university goondas but also state level politicians. While Mulayam Singh Yadav shamelessly patronizes the goonda elements of campus and other political parties support him or keep silent on the issue, Prof. Singh has stuck to his guns. He needs all our support to take on Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brand of politicians. He deserves kudos for not having buckled under the political pressure and attempts to isolate him and threaten him. Without caring about the danger that he has invited to his personal security he has shown the determination to convert the LU into an academic institution from the hopelessly messy situation to which it had degenerated. If the political parties think that they can ride roughshod over the VC by supporting the kind of rowdyism which has become the hallmark of Indian politics they are mistaken. People are tolerating this brand of politics because they have no option. As soon as they’ll have a cleaner and healthier alternative they’ll reject the dirtier and murkier characters.
Dr Sandeep Pandey
(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
FINALLY THE CRIMINAL STUDENT LEADERS FIND THEIR MATCH
FINALLY THE CRIMINAL STUDENT LEADERS FIND THEIR MATCH
FINALLY THE CRIMINAL STUDENT LEADERS FIND THEIR MATCH
The Vice Chancellor of the Lucknow University Professor Ram Prakash Singh has shown rare courage in holding the bull of campus hooliganism by its horns. The LU, like most of the campuses in north India was taken over by criminals in the garb of students who were patronized by opportunist national political parties. These so called student leaders, who are neither students nor leaders, hope to catch the attention of one of the parties so that they may use campus politics as a stepping stone into the state or national level politics. If one gets elected to one of the three important posts of any student union of a major university, then sooner or later one is ensured of a ticket from one of the major political parties to contest the assembly or parliamentary elections.
I, as a student with a rosy picture of politics as an instrument to bring about social change, had contested the position of representative of Institute of Technology to the Banaras Hindu University Students’ Union in 1985. It was a shocking experience even at that time and at such a level as university politics that I found the candidates for the big three posts, President, Vice President and General Secretary, asking me to align with them on the basis of a common caste and offering me free unlimited viewing of cinema in the Halls in city and liquor if needed for students who could pledge their votes in exchange. After having won the election for the representative’s post, attendance at the first few meetings of the Students’ Union was sufficient to disillusion me of the Indian electoral politics for life. The students who won or ran for the top three posts did very well in their political career subsequently. The Vice President at that time Rajesh Mishra is the Congress MP from Varanasi presently. The General Secretray O. P. Singh, was a minister in the last BJP Government in UP. A former President of the Union Manoj Sinha also became a MP for BJP from Ghazipur. Satya Prakash Sonkar, who ran for a post in that election but did not win, also became a MLA later.
While it may be a good opportunity for these student leaders to maintain their student status and indulge in campus politics so long as they have not won an election or become sufficiently important (read notorious) so that they cannot be ignored by the mainstream political parties, the university suffers in general because of them. They contribute to deteriorating law and order situation on campus, often forcing the VCs to close the universities sine die. The academic activity takes a back seat so long as the political heat is on. The sessions are delayed and sincere students are losers. It is virtually impossible under these circumstances that professors or researchers would engage in any serious research activity. Instead of enhancing the standards of these seats of learning the faculty members have to bother about how to just keep the normal affairs going.
I can perfectly understand the predicament of Professor R.P. Singh, as I had to myself face the hooliganism of these student leaders. The occasion was a programme organized in the honour of 40 visiting Pakistani guests in August 2005 at the prestigious Malviya Bhavan of LU. Since the programme was being held at LU we also decided to invite the then LUSU President Rajpal Kashyap as a representative of the student community to share the dais along with other dignitaries. The other student leaders present there also wanted to sit on the stage without realizing the seriousness of the programme or being considerate of the guests from across the border. We put our foot down and told the student leaders that there was no scope for any other student leader to join the dais. A melee followed and there was attempt by these so called student leaders to compete with each other in making their presence felt. Each one of them appeared more threatening than the other and they continued to hover around the stage while the programme was in progress. Some of them also said some abusive things about the organizers, especially the ladies.
Much to our embarrassment, with Pakistani guests as witness, we decided to protest against the unruly behaviour of the LU students by boycotting the snacks which were organized by the Union for the Pakistani guests. The Pakistani guests not knowing what to do just walked out along with us. Before making the exit I had announced that I would never organize any further event in LU.
Frankly, I think the LU needs an overhaul. It must be rid of all its goonda elements. Having observed the student politics at BHU and now at LU, I had never thought that it was possible. When Professor R.P. Singh had taken over as V.C. of LU and used to talk about making an IIT out of LU, we had thought that he would get disillusioned soon. But he has demonstrated the guts and can take on not only the university goondas but also state level politicians. While Mulayam Singh Yadav shamelessly patronizes the goonda elements of campus and other political parties support him or keep silent on the issue, Prof. Singh has stuck to his guns. He needs all our support to take on Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brand of politicians. He deserves kudos for not having buckled under the political pressure and attempts to isolate him and threaten him. Without caring about the danger that he has invited to his personal security he has shown the determination to convert the LU into an academic institution from the hopelessly messy situation to which it had degenerated. If the political parties think that they can ride roughshod over the VC by supporting the kind of rowdyism which has become the hallmark of Indian politics they are mistaken. People are tolerating this brand of politics because they have no option. As soon as they’ll have a cleaner and healthier alternative they’ll reject the dirtier and murkier characters.
Dr Sandeep Pandey
(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)
BASIC MECHANISM FOR IMPLEMENTING RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT NOT IN PLACE IN BIHAR
BASIC MECHANISM FOR IMPLEMENTING RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT NOT IN PLACE IN BIHAR
If you needed to file an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, you would have to submit your application to the Public Information Officer of the relevant department with a fee of Rs. 10 as prescribed under the Act. However, if you were living in any of the districts of Bihar and went to any particular department to find out who their PIO is, chances are that you will get blank faces, because the PIOs have not even been nominated in most departments. Somebody may even ask you to go to the Information Department of the government, which has nothing to do with the implementation of the RTI Act, as certain citizens recounted their experiences in Vaishali and Khagaria districts.
A state-wide RTI campaign was organized recently in 30 districts of Bihar simultaneously. Voulnteers, including mostly activists of local NGOs, public spirited citizens and retired government servants, had set up camps all over the state to make people aware of the Act, help them draft their applications under the RTI Act and also help them in filing their applications. Curious citizens, with some skepticism, flocked to the camps to learn about this new instrument which has been placed into their hands by the national legislature on 13th October, 2005 .
After a visit to Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger, Chappra, Siwan and Gopalganj it is apparent that the basic minimum system to implement the Act is missing. When one does not even know who the PIO is in any particular department how is one supposed to even get started with using the RTI Act? Applicants are being turned away from the offices either on the pretext of sheer ignorance of the Act or absence of any mechanism to accept the application or the fees along with it. It is a pity that a Block Development Officer in Banka district was not even aware of the fact that applicants belonging to the Below Poverty Line category are exempt from paying the Rs. 10 fee with their applications. Some of the officials use more crude ways of turning away their applicants. The BDO of Shambhuganj in Banka district got his bodyguard to pull out a gun to threaten one of the applicant who had come to file an application under the RTI Act with him.
On 29th January, a telephone line was launched with much fanfare by the Chief Minister himself so that people could file their applications as well as appeals, in the case of information not being provided within stipulated time, over telephone. Much publicity was given to the fact that Bihar was the first state in the country to have initiated such a service. In a country where most of the citizens still cannot write an application on their own this seemed like a wonderful idea. However, not a single citizen from the abovementioned ten districts visited during the campaign has been able to get through the designated telephone number – 155311, to file their application. Hence the telephone service too fails to provide any relief to the harassed citizens who are made to run by the government offices umpteen number of times even to perform the most simple things. In Muzaffarpur it was learnt that the government offices do not have the normal practice of providing proof of receiving any applications. The situation in rest of the Bihar would not be much different. However, if the officials don’t change their method of working, how will a RTI applicant file an appeal to the first appeal authority or the information commission if she will not receive a proof of having submitted an application under the Act in the first place?
The people’s campaign also witnessed some success stories. In Begusari where close to a hundred applications were submitted under the Act during the campaign, a primary school teacher Ranjan Kumar had filed an application under the RTI Act to the District Superintendent of Education on 31st January asking him why his enhanced salary after he had undergone the required training was not being given to him for the last 19 months, even though he had submitted all the necessary documents to the DSE’s office. On 9th February, Ranjan got a reply that his enhanced salary had been sanctioned and he could come to the office of DSE and collect the order for payment. Four other teachers also benefited along with Ranjan in this matter. Ranjan, who is also a spirited RTI activist was obviously overjoyed. He has now taken a vow along with his fifteen young friends to file an application under the RTI Act every month. It is such initiatives by citizens’ groups which will ensure that the RTI Act is implemented in proper spirit.
In Khagaria district one applicant is now going to file an appeal with the information commission because he has not got a proper reply from a bank manager. He had applied for a loan to set up a sattu-besan industry. The bank manager wanted a 10% commission. The applicant refused to pay the bribe. The manager rejected his application on the ground of his project not being viable. Hence the applicant asked the manager under the RTI Act which industry according to him is viable? The manager is now in a dilemma and he had to reply that he is not a competent authority in this matter. The applicant is now going to appeal to information commission and question the manager’s decision to reject his application. The bank manager is trying to prove that the applicant is mentally unfit. This is a good example of how officials have been taking decisions arbitrarily or because of vested interests, which will become increasingly difficult if more and more people decided to use RTI Act to question their decisions.
It is just the beginning of the movement in the area of RTI. People are getting ready for a long drawn struggle with officials which could see the relationship between the citizens and bureaucracy undergo dramatic changes.
Dr Sandeep Pandey
(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)
BASIC MECHANISM FOR IMPLEMENTING RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT NOT IN PLACE IN BIHAR
BASIC MECHANISM FOR IMPLEMENTING RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT NOT IN PLACE IN BIHAR
If you needed to file an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, you would have to submit your application to the Public Information Officer of the relevant department with a fee of Rs. 10 as prescribed under the Act. However, if you were living in any of the districts of Bihar and went to any particular department to find out who their PIO is, chances are that you will get blank faces, because the PIOs have not even been nominated in most departments. Somebody may even ask you to go to the Information Department of the government, which has nothing to do with the implementation of the RTI Act, as certain citizens recounted their experiences in Vaishali and Khagaria districts.
A state-wide RTI campaign was organized recently in 30 districts of Bihar simultaneously. Voulnteers, including mostly activists of local NGOs, public spirited citizens and retired government servants, had set up camps all over the state to make people aware of the Act, help them draft their applications under the RTI Act and also help them in filing their applications. Curious citizens, with some skepticism, flocked to the camps to learn about this new instrument which has been placed into their hands by the national legislature on 13th October, 2005 .
After a visit to Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger, Chappra, Siwan and Gopalganj it is apparent that the basic minimum system to implement the Act is missing. When one does not even know who the PIO is in any particular department how is one supposed to even get started with using the RTI Act? Applicants are being turned away from the offices either on the pretext of sheer ignorance of the Act or absence of any mechanism to accept the application or the fees along with it. It is a pity that a Block Development Officer in Banka district was not even aware of the fact that applicants belonging to the Below Poverty Line category are exempt from paying the Rs. 10 fee with their applications. Some of the officials use more crude ways of turning away their applicants. The BDO of Shambhuganj in Banka district got his bodyguard to pull out a gun to threaten one of the applicant who had come to file an application under the RTI Act with him.
On 29th January, a telephone line was launched with much fanfare by the Chief Minister himself so that people could file their applications as well as appeals, in the case of information not being provided within stipulated time, over telephone. Much publicity was given to the fact that Bihar was the first state in the country to have initiated such a service. In a country where most of the citizens still cannot write an application on their own this seemed like a wonderful idea. However, not a single citizen from the abovementioned ten districts visited during the campaign has been able to get through the designated telephone number – 155311, to file their application. Hence the telephone service too fails to provide any relief to the harassed citizens who are made to run by the government offices umpteen number of times even to perform the most simple things. In Muzaffarpur it was learnt that the government offices do not have the normal practice of providing proof of receiving any applications. The situation in rest of the Bihar would not be much different. However, if the officials don’t change their method of working, how will a RTI applicant file an appeal to the first appeal authority or the information commission if she will not receive a proof of having submitted an application under the Act in the first place?
The people’s campaign also witnessed some success stories. In Begusari where close to a hundred applications were submitted under the Act during the campaign, a primary school teacher Ranjan Kumar had filed an application under the RTI Act to the District Superintendent of Education on 31st January asking him why his enhanced salary after he had undergone the required training was not being given to him for the last 19 months, even though he had submitted all the necessary documents to the DSE’s office. On 9th February, Ranjan got a reply that his enhanced salary had been sanctioned and he could come to the office of DSE and collect the order for payment. Four other teachers also benefited along with Ranjan in this matter. Ranjan, who is also a spirited RTI activist was obviously overjoyed. He has now taken a vow along with his fifteen young friends to file an application under the RTI Act every month. It is such initiatives by citizens’ groups which will ensure that the RTI Act is implemented in proper spirit.
In Khagaria district one applicant is now going to file an appeal with the information commission because he has not got a proper reply from a bank manager. He had applied for a loan to set up a sattu-besan industry. The bank manager wanted a 10% commission. The applicant refused to pay the bribe. The manager rejected his application on the ground of his project not being viable. Hence the applicant asked the manager under the RTI Act which industry according to him is viable? The manager is now in a dilemma and he had to reply that he is not a competent authority in this matter. The applicant is now going to appeal to information commission and question the manager’s decision to reject his application. The bank manager is trying to prove that the applicant is mentally unfit. This is a good example of how officials have been taking decisions arbitrarily or because of vested interests, which will become increasingly difficult if more and more people decided to use RTI Act to question their decisions.
It is just the beginning of the movement in the area of RTI. People are getting ready for a long drawn struggle with officials which could see the relationship between the citizens and bureaucracy undergo dramatic changes.
Dr Sandeep Pandey
(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Government under your gaze
Online at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/208040.html
Government under your gaze
Sandeep Pandey
The Indian Express
2 August 2007
The Right to Information (RTI) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) Acts are considered to be two of the most progressive pieces of legislation in recent times. They are seen as a much-required corrective in an atmosphere where the government is considered to be coming increasingly under the influence of international financial institutions/corporations and getting more and more indifferent to the concerns of ordinary people.
Take the RTI Act. Meant to create more transparency and accountability in governance, it has for the first time provided an opportunity to ordinary people to intervene in political and administrative decision-making. Politicians and bureaucrats have, thus far, considered it their prerogative to keep information secret. What is not widely recognised is that this mindset characterises not just secretaries and under-secretaries but those who man the lowest tier of government. For instance, in January 2003, the gram pradhans of Ambedkar villages and two MLAs (including a minister in the then Mayawati government) unanimously passed a resolution calling for the jailing of anyone demanding income-expenditure details from the Gram Panchayat Bharawan of Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh, or for holding dharna to push for their claims. As people’s representatives, they argued, they enjoyed a privileged position and were above providing a statement of accounts for public funds.
Before the RTI Act came into force, officials would humiliate citizens who asked for information and sometimes even threatened them. In their arrogance they did not even bother to do basic book-keeping. The first statement of accounts for the Bharawan Gram Panchayat, which was given to the people by the block development officer (BDO), did not carry any entries under expenditure. When asked about it, the officer explained that that was how accounts have been kept all those years. This was confirmed by the District Rural Development Agency, where employees confessed that once funds left their office, they did not bother to follow up on any details of how they were spent — the assumption was that the funds disbursed were spent for the intended purpose. In a detail of accounts the Bharawan Block Panchayat obtained using the RTI Act, it was discovered that the desilting of a canal was shown to have been performed for more than Rs 3 lakh when no work was done at all.
The RTI Act has made a difference to this situation of complete unaccountability. Today, if an ordinary villager goes to an office with an application seeking information under the RTI Act, she would be treated with respect, offered tea and asked about her problem. Officials would promise to address her problem in a bid to convince her to withdraw her application. Although officials try their best to evade accountability, there is a realisation that they cannot continue to function like they used to. This is good news for democracy. The BDO of Behender block in Hardoi recently confessed that it is only since people have started asking for information that the office has been compelled to keep books.
The NREGA goes a step further and secures the legal right of the people of a gram sabha to conduct social audits of work being performed under the NREGA. This is the first acknowledgement by the government that it requires people’s help in tackling an imperfect system. Earlier, one could only complain if one suspected a misappropriation of funds and then it was up to the authorities to institute an inquiry. Now ordinary citizens have the right to all data pertaining to the workings of the NREGA and must receive it within 15 days of their application. They can then place the records before the villagers for physical verification. The social audits conducted at various places in the country under the NREGA have uncovered numerous discrepancies, ranging from fake names in muster rolls to the fact that facilities for workers are not provided for. Labourers are at last getting their dues in most places where the NREGA is in force.
Today, there is a need to build on the newly instilled sense of confidence among the great majority of rural north India that the RTI and NREG legislation has engendered. At least people can now discern the contours of a functioning democracy. But we need to build on the fact that people no longer need to be at the mercy of bureaucrats or politicians. They should now be involved in the process of decision-making and planning, even as social audits are extended to cover all schemes and government offices.
The writer, a Lucknow-based social activist, is a Magsaysay awardee
Online at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/208040.html
Government under your gaze
Online at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/208040.html
Government under your gaze
Sandeep Pandey
The Indian Express
2 August 2007
The Right to Information (RTI) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) Acts are considered to be two of the most progressive pieces of legislation in recent times. They are seen as a much-required corrective in an atmosphere where the government is considered to be coming increasingly under the influence of international financial institutions/corporations and getting more and more indifferent to the concerns of ordinary people.
Take the RTI Act. Meant to create more transparency and accountability in governance, it has for the first time provided an opportunity to ordinary people to intervene in political and administrative decision-making. Politicians and bureaucrats have, thus far, considered it their prerogative to keep information secret. What is not widely recognised is that this mindset characterises not just secretaries and under-secretaries but those who man the lowest tier of government. For instance, in January 2003, the gram pradhans of Ambedkar villages and two MLAs (including a minister in the then Mayawati government) unanimously passed a resolution calling for the jailing of anyone demanding income-expenditure details from the Gram Panchayat Bharawan of Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh, or for holding dharna to push for their claims. As people’s representatives, they argued, they enjoyed a privileged position and were above providing a statement of accounts for public funds.
Before the RTI Act came into force, officials would humiliate citizens who asked for information and sometimes even threatened them. In their arrogance they did not even bother to do basic book-keeping. The first statement of accounts for the Bharawan Gram Panchayat, which was given to the people by the block development officer (BDO), did not carry any entries under expenditure. When asked about it, the officer explained that that was how accounts have been kept all those years. This was confirmed by the District Rural Development Agency, where employees confessed that once funds left their office, they did not bother to follow up on any details of how they were spent — the assumption was that the funds disbursed were spent for the intended purpose. In a detail of accounts the Bharawan Block Panchayat obtained using the RTI Act, it was discovered that the desilting of a canal was shown to have been performed for more than Rs 3 lakh when no work was done at all.
The RTI Act has made a difference to this situation of complete unaccountability. Today, if an ordinary villager goes to an office with an application seeking information under the RTI Act, she would be treated with respect, offered tea and asked about her problem. Officials would promise to address her problem in a bid to convince her to withdraw her application. Although officials try their best to evade accountability, there is a realisation that they cannot continue to function like they used to. This is good news for democracy. The BDO of Behender block in Hardoi recently confessed that it is only since people have started asking for information that the office has been compelled to keep books.
The NREGA goes a step further and secures the legal right of the people of a gram sabha to conduct social audits of work being performed under the NREGA. This is the first acknowledgement by the government that it requires people’s help in tackling an imperfect system. Earlier, one could only complain if one suspected a misappropriation of funds and then it was up to the authorities to institute an inquiry. Now ordinary citizens have the right to all data pertaining to the workings of the NREGA and must receive it within 15 days of their application. They can then place the records before the villagers for physical verification. The social audits conducted at various places in the country under the NREGA have uncovered numerous discrepancies, ranging from fake names in muster rolls to the fact that facilities for workers are not provided for. Labourers are at last getting their dues in most places where the NREGA is in force.
Today, there is a need to build on the newly instilled sense of confidence among the great majority of rural north India that the RTI and NREG legislation has engendered. At least people can now discern the contours of a functioning democracy. But we need to build on the fact that people no longer need to be at the mercy of bureaucrats or politicians. They should now be involved in the process of decision-making and planning, even as social audits are extended to cover all schemes and government offices.
The writer, a Lucknow-based social activist, is a Magsaysay awardee
Online at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/208040.html
Monday, July 30, 2007
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