‘Hello RTI, I am a fruit seller, I have a ration card problem’

“My name is GV Manjunathan and I am calling from Bangalore. Some people are encroaching on the land in front of my house. I want a plan of the road in front. Can you tell me how I can get it using my right to information, and who should I contact?”

These are some of the 100 calls received every day by the first national RTI helpline (92504-00100 ) launched two months ago. Farmers or celebrities, residents of Kashmir or Kochi, people seek assistance on a range of problems — some want to know what RTI is and some ask how and where the form should be submitted.

The Gurgaon-based call centre, to which the helpline is routed, says it has received almost 6,000 calls so far.

The centre, financed by the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust, was set up to help people exercise their right to information, as many of those who knew about the RTI Act were not familiar with the procedure of using it.

“The number of calls coming in every day has been on the rise. A substantial number of callers are those wanting information from the municipal authority or the passport office,” said the leader of the 10-member team which answers the calls.

“We also get many calls from people complaining about the police,” he added.

The team has been specially trained by RTI experts on the provisions of the Act and on how to use them.

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy inaugurated the helpline on November 19, the first death anniversary of Manjunath Shanmugam in whose memory the Trust was set up. Manjunath, an employee of Indian Oil Corporation, was murdered on duty in 2005 for fighting corruption. The helpline operates between 8 am and 8 pm all seven days and is equipped to take calls in Hindi, English and Tamil.

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