The right to information movement which began in December 2002 with active support of Asha Ashram in Hardoi District and was initially dismissed by politicians and administration has now acquired legitimacy with the administration deciding that it will require all Village Panchayats to get their accounts audited by a Chartered Accountant.

The movement which started from the Bharawan Village Panchayat has now spread to over 30 Panchayats. In the first phase people of 6 Village Panchayats had received details of income-expenditure of their development funds. An official enquiry had discovered an embezzlement of funds in Bharawan to the tune of Rs. 2,84,311.

In Sikroriha it was found that a Brahmin landlord was running the show in the name of real Dalit Pradhan, who used to work on his fields. The then District Magistrate had dismissed Pradhans of these two villages. However, because of the intervention of court in the first and a politician in the second, these orders were reversed.

A Janata Jaanch (public scrutiny) process was launched in the 6 villages for which details of accounts were obtained. Bungling of funds was found in each village and they were reported to the media as well as the administration. The U.P. government administration had to sit up and take notice of people going into villages and actually examining the quality and quantitiy of work done by village panchayats. They sent an Additional Commissioner from Lucknow into these six villages to examine the extent of corruption. However, these panchayats were given a clean chit officially.

The movement, however, continued with the organization initiating action wherever there was a possibility. It decided to move down to even further micro level. Actions were taken against two primary school teachers for neglect of duty and corruption. Both were subsequently removed by the administration.

With a change of DM things started looking positive again. Abhishek Singh initiated a website of the District Hardoi through which he started giving out information on quantity of food grain reaching the villages as part of various PDS schemes. The DM of neighbouring District Sitapur Amod Kumar has even started putting out information about village funds and how they are being spent on the development. The administration has now started recognizing the people�s right to have access to information.

Recently Abhishek Singh has made available to Asha Parivar details of accounts of 23 Village Pachayats. He has instructed the Village Pradhans to furnish these details of their Panchayats before the next elections which are due soon. Otherwise the current Pradhans will not be allowed to contest the elections. Armed with fresh income-expenditure details of these villages the Ashram activists are now launching the second round of Janata Jaanch. No corrupt and inefficient officials now desire posting in the Bharawan and Sandila Blocks of Hardoi District.

With the growing political strength of Asha Parivar, the District administration and the UP government recently took the help of Asha Ashram in resolving a land consolidation dispute in Majhgaon Village Panchayat. Majority of the people were not happy with the land consolidation done in this village under political influence of a powerful landlord family which controls several Village Panchayats as well as the Block Panchayat of Bharawan.

One villager, Shatrughan, unhappy with the land consolidation, had even attempted self-immolation in desperation on 17th May, 2005. Ten more villagers were threatening to self-immolate themselves. Asha Parivar organized a meeting of the villagers in which the DM was brought face to face with the people and after listening to the complaints of the people in the village the DM decided to recommend undoing of the land consolidation in Majhgaon. This has been a major event in the area.

The actions of Asha Parivar have challenged the supremacy of Brahmin and Thakur landlord families, for example in Village Panchayats of Sikroriha and Majhgaon respectively, which have maintained tight grip over Panchayats and run them like a feudal show since the independence of the country. The right to information movement of the Asha Parivar in becoming an instrument for empowerment of the people and strengthening democracy at the grassroots.

By Sandeep, A-893, Indira Nagar, Lucknow-226016, U.P.
Telephone: 0522-2347365, 3949406, Mobile: 9415022772

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