ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

IN SPREADING AWARENESS ABOUT

RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT-2005

Presented by
Somnath De
Right to Information Act, 2005 it
comes into force on the 12th October
2005 (120th day of enactment on
15th June, 2005). Information
disclosure in India was hitherto
restricted by the
Official Secrets Act 1923 and various
other special laws, which the new RTI
Act now relaxes.
“If you have knowledge, let others light their

candles by it.”

WHAT DOES INFORMATION MEAN?

'Information' as a term has been derived from the Latin
words 'Formation' and 'Forma' which means giving shape to
something and forming a pattern respectively.
Information means any material in any form including records,
documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press
releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports,
papers, samples, models, data material held in any
electronic form and relating to any private body which can
be accessed by a public authority under any other law for
the time being in force but does not include "file noting"
[S.2(f)].
WHAT DOES RIGHT TO INFORMATION
MEAN?

It includes the right to -

i. Inspect works, documents, and records.
ii. Take notes, extracts or certified copies of
documents or records.
iii. Take certified samples of material.
iv. Obtain in form of printouts, diskettes,
floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any
other electronic mode or through printouts.
[S.2 (j)].
WHY PUBLIC AWARENESS?
 Right to Information is a Peoples Right.
 People have to use the Act for it to be
effective
 By creating an informed public, the
Government will ensure that the Act is
used actively and effectively
 THE NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT TO
INFORMATION

Knowledge is power and freedom of information

is vital to the advancement of knowledge
society.
The right to information has been recognized as
a fundamental human right, which upholds the
inherent dignity of all human beings. The right
to information forms the crucial underpinning
of participatory democracy - it is essential to
ensure accountability and good governance.
 CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES IN
RESPECT TO RIGHT TO INFORMATION

 As early as in 1976, the Supreme Court said

in the case of Raj Narain vs State of UP,
that people cannot speak or express
themselves unless they know. In the same
case, Supreme Court further said that India is
a democracy. People are the masters.
Therefore, the masters have a right to know
how the governments, meant to serve them,
are functioning. These three principles were
laid down by the Supreme Court while saying
that RTI is a part of our fundamental rights.
 Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution guarantees the
fundamental rights to free speech and expression. The
prerequisite for enjoying this right is knowledge and
information.
 Therefore, the Right to Information becomes a
constitutional right, being an aspect of the right to free
speech and expression which includes the right to
receive and collect information.
 This will also help the citizens perform their
fundamental duties as set out in Article 51A of the
Constitution. A fully informed citizen will certainly be
better equipped for the performance of these duties.
Thus, access to information would assist citizens in
fulfilling these obligations.
IF RTI IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, THEN
WHY DO WE NEED AN ACT TO GIVE US
THIS RIGHT?
we need a machinery or a process through
which we can exercise this fundamental
right. Right to Information Act 2005, which
became effective on 13th October 2005,
provides that machinery. Therefore, Right
to Information Act does not give us any
new right. It simply lays down the process
on how to apply for information, where to
apply, how much fees etc.
 In S P Gupta vs. Union of India AIR
1982 SC (149),

Popularly known as Judges case. The

Supreme Court by a generous
interpretation of the guarantee of
freedom of speech and expression
elevated the right to know and the right
to information to the status of a
fundamental right, on the principle that
certain unarticulated rights are
immanent and implicit in the
enumerated guarantees.
 Recently in Union of India v.
Association for Democratic
Reforms(2002).

The court held that the freedom of speech

and expression includes right to impart
and receive information which includes
freedom to hold opinions, and therefore,
covers right to get material information
with regard to a candidate who is
contesting election for a post which is of
utmost importance in the democracy.
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMMES SECTION- 26 of RTI Act
2005
 26. (1) The appropriate Government may, to
the extent of availability of financial and other
resources,— (a) develop and organise
educational programmes to advance the
understanding of the public, in particular of
disadvantaged communities as to how to
exercise the rights contemplated under this Act;
 (b) encourage public authorities to participate
in the development and organisation of
programmes referred to in clause (a) and to
undertake such programmes themselves;
(c) promote timely and effective
dissemination of accurate
information by public authorities
about their activities; and
(d) train Central Public Information
Officers or State Public Information
Officers, as the case may be, of
public authorities and produce
relevant training materials for use by
the public authorities themselves.
 SOME OBLIGATION LIES ON THE
GOVERNMENT

Undertaken many campaign, either in

electronic or in print media for making
RTI popular among people
Develop and organize educational
programmes to advance the
understanding of the public, in
particular of disadvantaged
communities
 NOW WE DISCUSS ABOUT VARIOUS
INSTITUTION IN SPREADING
AWARENESS ABOUT RTI ACT 2005
This legislation provides opportunities to Civil Society
Organisations(CSOs) to be involved in governance
and social transformation processes by using the
Act as a weapon to monitor, review and evaluate
Government policies, programmes and schemes.
Now look on the various educational institution have
taken major steps in spreading awareness of this
act, they are -
 The mass awareness campaign
in Andhra Pradesh was
implemented with the joint efforts of
the United Forum for Right to
Information (AP) and the Centre for
Good Governance. In the year of
2007
Associated with Human Rights Law
Network (HRLN), Social Educational
and Economical Development
Society (SEEDS)
 The Haryana Institute of Public
Administration, Gurgaon in association
with IC Centre for Governance, New
Delhi organized a Workshop on Right to
Information on 17.11.2006
 Again National Campaign for
People’s Right to Information
(NCPRI) seeks to empower people and
to deepen democracy, through
promoting people’s right to information.
 The department is concerned
with primary, secondary and
teacher education in Andhra
Pradesh. Commissioner/Director
of School Education is the Head
of the Department of School
Education to give information
under rule 4(1)(b) of Right to
Information Act 2005.
 Objectives
 To provide access to school education to all the
children in the age group of 5 – 15 Years.
 To enroll all school age children in the Schools.
 To ensure quality in Education.
 DEVELOPING A BASIC PLAN FOR RAISING PUBLIC
AWARENESS ON RTI AND THE RTI ACT 2005 (JULY
2005)
Identifying Partners
 Government
Information & Publicity Directorate : to take
a lead on disseminating information on RTI
to all Departments.
 Universities
 Urban : Cities . Municipal Councils, Housing
Societies,Cooperative Societies etc
 Rural : Villages .Panchayati Raj Institutions:
village pradhans, elders etc,
 Youth : Cities & Villages via government
and local schools (pathshalas, madrasas),
Universities, Training Institutes
 Senior and Secondary High Schools,
Universities
 Public Education Materials
 Print (Newspapers, Journals): Weekly
press releases updating on progress.
 RTI in school and university curriculum.

 TheCentral Information Commission

organized the National Convention on
Right to Information on completion of
one year of its enforcement at Vigyan
Bhavan, New Delhi during October 13
to 15, 2006.
 Recently in the year of 2008
held a workshop in Uttarakhand.
On the 12 and 13th of October
2008 the Mountain Children’s
Foundation and Asha for
Education, Silicon Valley (Asha
SV) held a workshop with 72
children from 18 different partner
organizations all over
Uttarakhand.
 WHAT TO DO FOR SPREADING
AWARENESS OF RTI ACT 2005 BY THE
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION AS WELL AS
OTHERS INSTITUTIONS

 Users Guide, Articles,Advertisements,Posters,

Pamphlets etc.
 School,Curriculum,debates,competitions etc.
 Make various workshops ( like District Level
Workshops on Right to Information (RTI)Madhya
Pradesh, September 2005)
 Organised campaign in many places rural as well as
urban area
 Organised seminar on RTI Act in many educational
institution and also in many other institutions etc.(.
(like Regional Seminar on Right to Information Jointly
organized by MEDIA INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION CENTRE OF INDIA )

 Making Various Aviyan regarding RTI Act (Madhya

Pradesh Suchna Ka Adhikar Abhiyan, led by an
NGOnamed Sandhan )

 Making Various Aviyan regarding RTI Act (Madhya

Pradesh Suchna Ka Adhikar Abhiyan, led by an
NGOnamed Sandhan )

 Right to Information Awareness through Quiz

(Quizzing section at RTI India Portal. The purpose is
to bring about awareness and improve the
knowledge of the community, Sep 2006 Location:
New Delhi)
Lastly we now say that this right is important
not only for the exercise of political and civil
rights but also social and economic rights.
Independent information is also important for
the people to make informed choices. Now
we should think broadly that it is the one of
the obligation educational institution as well
as Government and other institution and
NGO’s in spreading awareness about
right to information act-2005
THANK YOU

Somnath De
3rd Year Law
Student
SKAIL,Kalyani,
WestBengal.