‘RTI on Wheels’ caravan to train tribals draft queries on developmental schemes

Equipped with LCD projector,screen,computer with wi-fi connection,scanner,printer and a small library,a private vehicle will be manned by four to five volunteers of MAGP. It will be screening films on RTI and impart half a day training in drafting RTI applications to the educated youths in small towns and villages it visits on its route. By using Skype call,it will also be arranging lectures through video-conferencing from RTI experts,followed by a question answer session. The van is also equipped with solar panels to ensure that it does not depend on battery or diesel for power supply to electronic gadgets.

The caravan will also be distributing literature in local language on the importance of RTI in bringing improvement in-delivery of government services in their areas.

Before the launch of the yatra,MAGP will be requesting the Gujarat Governor to write letters to the Governors of the states where the “RTI on Wheels” caravan will be passing through. Volunteers on the yatra would be meeting the Governor,chief minister,information commissioner,RTI users,government officials as also mediapersons in the respective states and briefing them about the caravan’s objective. They would also be arranging media coverage of the RTI training in remote tribal villages with a view to spreading more awareness among the people at the lowest level about RTI.

They will also train the villagers and tribals in drafting RTI queries and how to submit them to the authorities.

The 20-day tour covering tribal dominated districts of the four states,the tour is the pilot phase of the “RTI Bharat Yatra” to cover tribal regions across the country.

It will be kicked off from Amirgadh in Sabarkantha district and will come to an end at Ahwa in the Dang district of Gujarat.

The caravan will cover Banaskantha,Sabarkantha,Panchmahals,Dahol,Narmada and Dangs district in Gujarat,Udaipur and Sirohi in Rajasthan,Jhabua in MP,Thane,Yavatmal,Buldhana,Vardha,Nasik,Chandrapur,Gadhchiroli and Gondiya districts of Maharashtra.

In subsequent phases,the yatra will cover Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand,Kerala,Goa,Karnataka,Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh,Assam,West Bengal,Meghalaya,Tripura and Manipur.

Speaking to The Indian Express,MAGP representatives Harinesh Pandya and Pankti Jog said the tribal areas accounted for the least RTI applications in the country. They said people in other areas have used RTI provisions for improvement in services in several parts of Gujarat as also other states but there was no effective use of RTI in tribal areas owing to lack of awareness among the tribal community.

“RTI Bharat Yatra” is being supported by Association for India’s Development (AID),a US-based voluntary group consisting of Indian immigrants.