Mazdoor%20Kisan%20Shakti%20Sangathan

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Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan

• Union for Empowerment of Peasants and Labourers
• By Vivek Ramkumar

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Topics Covered in Presentation . .

• Introduction to the MKSS
• Discussion of the need for Right to Information
  (RTI)
• Evolution of the RTI campaign
• Analysis of RTI legislations in India

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Principal Activities of MKSS

• Advocacy Mobilization
• Provision of Public Services
• Education

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MKSS Advocacy Mobilization Activities

• Minimum wage issues and the Right to Information
  campaign
• Food security issues and the Right to Food
  campaign
• Employment guarantee and the Right to Work
  campaign
• Decentralization and empowerment of village wards
• Electoral reforms and the Election Watch campaign.

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MKSS Public Services

• Operation of Fair Price Shops
• Operation of Public Distribution System
  centre
• Provision of assistance to support resolution of
  individual and community disputes

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MKSS Education Activity

• The School for Democracy

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MKSS Funding Sources Raises money
from

• Donations from friends supporters
• Contributions from village communities in cash or
  kind (labor, grains)
• Sale of MKSS-related material
• Surpluses generated by Fair Price Shops

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Does not accept

• Government funding
• Foreign funding
• Domestic institutional funding

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Why do we need the Right to Information (RTI)?

• The RTI is the enabling right that is the basis
  of all other rights
• RTI allows for participation of citizens in
  decision making
• RTI promotes transparency and accountability of
  government
• RTI is an anti-corruption factor
• RTI increases political discussion and debate

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Evolution of the Right to Information campaign

• 1990 Formation of the MKSS
• 1990-94 Creation of linkages between denial of
  rights and access to information
• 1994-95 MKSS organizes a series of public
  hearings in various villages
• 1996-98 Two major sit-in protest meetings
  organized in Beawer and Jaipur
• 1996 Formation of the National Campaign for
  Peoples Right to Information

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Evolution of the Right to Information Campaign
(cont)

• 1997 Amendment of Panchayati Raj Act village
  administration records made accessible
• 2000 Rajasthan State Legislature passes the
  Right to Information Act

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Freedom of Information Act in India

• Passed in December 2002
• Notification and Rules Regulations for the Act
  still to be made

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Analysis of Right to Information Legislations in
India

• Four criteria for evaluating legislation
• Does the law apply as widely as possible with as
  few exemptions as possible.
• Is there adequate institutional capacity to
  support RTI coupled with simple and non
  restrictive information flows.
• Is the penalty amount large enough to act as a
  deterrent to non compliance.
• Is the appeal mechanism adequately independent.