Requesting financial contributions to support civic society led national awareness campaign against the amendment to constrain our Right to Information. Please click here to donate. 6% of our target has been raised at this point.

The Parliament of India is scheduled to table amendments to the landmark Right to Information (RTI) act the week of August 14th. As we celebrate Independence Day, these  amendments purport to  significantly weaken the RTI law and take away most of the freedoms gained by the common people after 59 years of independence.

There is an urgent need for all concerned citizens and NRIs to come forward and unite under a "NRIs Campaign to Save RTI". This drive by concerned individuals stresses our endorsement of the advertisement efforts of the groups in India to oppose the amendments to RTI law. 

This is a 48-hour drive to collect funds to support advertisement campaign through newsprint and other mediums. Our target is to raise $25,000 through this drive. Your generous and timely donation will help make millions of people aware of their right and the proposed amendments being rushed through the parliament. Some Members of Parliament we have called are not aware of the proposed drastic changes and have not heard from their constituents.

Details of the “NRIs Campaign to Save RTI”:

Several groups in India including, National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Parivartan, Kabir, National Alliance for People's Movement, and Asha Parivar have decided to issue a Nationwide appeal through an advertisement and awareness strategy exhorting people to share their opinion on the proposed amendments with their representatives through democratic processes. A referendum is being conducted throughout India.

As part of a coordinated strategy, newsprint advertisements are planned for early next week. Street side hoardings and advertisements on vehicles are also planned. Estimates for newspaper ad space range from $2000 for half-page in a regional daily to $20,000 for a half-page in a National daily. Ads on the vehicles such as auto-rickshaws cost $1000 and cover large part of a city. The groups in India will decide how best to use the funds collected.

Contribution Details:

To contribute to this drive please click here or visit the website of Indians for Collective Action (ICA) and click on the “Make a Donation” on the toolbar at the top of the page. You can donate by using paypal, pay with a credit card or mail the check to ICA.  Please make sure to mention “RTI” or “Right to Information” where it says “Payment For” on the website. ICA’s 501C3 number is listed at the bottom of their page and your donations are 100% tax deductible.

ICA will send these funds to Asha Trust in India

Please also send us an email at saverighttoinformation@gmail.com once you have made your donation so we can be up to date regarding the funds raised. We plan to publish your name, location and pledge amount (no contact information) on a public website (thesouthasian.org). Let us know if you wish to donate anonymously instead.

At this point, this effort has raised at least $3300, some of which is listed below.

Endorsements:

These organizations listed below endorse the Right To Information act in its current form without amendments exempting file notings: 

National Campaign for People's Right to Information: Nikhil Dey

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan:             Nikhil Dey

Parivartan:             Arvind Kejriwal

Kabir

National Alliance for People's Movement: Sandeep Pandey

Asha Parivar:             Sandeep Pandey

Urban Street Vendors Lokseva Kendra:             Pervez

Indians for Collective Action:                   Lata Patil

Association for India's Development:             Satindar Mohan Bhagat

India Friends Association:             Prithvi Raj

TheSouthAsian.org:      Sanat Mohanty

Asha for Education, DC, LA and Austin Chapters             Sirish Agarwal

Related Links
Act Now to Save Right to Information Act
Join the National Campaign for RTI
File Notings Part of RTI as per Parliament Discussions
File Notings Essential to RTI