KEY TRENDS 

• Right to Information enacted in 2005 is meant to ensure transparency and accountability in governance
• The RTI (2005) is considered as the most effective tool to counter corruption and empower citizens
• Freedom of expression is protected in Article 19 of the Constitution of India*
• In 1982, the Supreme Court of India ruled that access to government information was an essential part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression*
• The Freedom of Information Act 2002 (FOIA) was passed in December 2002 by the Government of India and received the Presidential assent in January 2003*
• In the early-1990s, in the course of the struggle of the rural poor in Rajasthan, the Mazdoor Kisaan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) hit upon a novel way to demonstrate the importance of information in an individual's life -- through public hearings or Jan Sunwais*
• The Right to Information Act suffers from the problems of a weak infrastructure and public information officers (PIOs) who are unaware of their exact role**
• Rural residents overwhelmingly see information as key to solving village problems**
• Most applicants had relied on help from friends, family or NGOs in filing their RTI applications**
• Every State has its own set of RTI fee and mode of payment rules. In some States, the application fee is Rs 10 and can be paid by IPO; in others it is Rs 20 and can only be paid by Demand Draft or a court fee stamp issued in that particular state**

* Final Report of the Vision Foundation (2005), Planning Commission, Government of India
** Safeguarding the Right to Information-Interim Findings of the People’s RTI Assessment 2008, October 2008, conducted by RTI Assessment & Analysis Group (RaaG) and National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) (in collaboration with other institutes/ organizations)