Drive against Bribe through use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act
"Now you don't need to pay bribes in India. Use Right to Information. Often, it works faster than bribes.
Right to Information (RTI) is a fundamental right in the Indian Constitution that became operational as an Act on 13th October 2005. The aim of the Act is to empower people to access a wide range of information across most government departments.
To make this Act a powerful tool for the people, a massive nationwide awareness-cum-assistance campaign called "Drive against Bribe through use of RTI" was held from 1st to 15th July 2006 in forty-eight cities of India. The campaign encouraged citizens to demand their legitimate rights from government departments, like getting a ration card, passport, widow's pension, or provident fund, without paying a bribe or facing harassment.
In Odisha, the campaign was held in Bhubaneswar. CYSD was part of a wider collective of NGOs and individuals, under the aegis of Odisha Soochna Adhikar Abhijan, which organised and ran the campaign. To create awareness on RTI, eighty street plays in different parts of the city were held. To assist in the effective use RTI, propaganda was organised in front of government offices. Electronic and print media were used extensively to propagate the use of RTI. Phone assistance on using RTI was given to large numbers of people and support was provided in person to the 602 cases registered in the camp venue.
The highlight of the campaign was an awareness rally organized on 10th July 2006. 320 volunteers took part, along with the State Information Commission through the participation of its Chief Commissioner.
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