National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) was established in 1996 to advocate for a legal backing to citizens right to information. This resulted in the historic and pro-people law - the Right to Information Act, 2005. More recently, this movement has also campaigned for Grievance redressal bill and Whistleblowers protection bill. It is a network of organisations and individuals who use the Right to Information law to demand transparency and accountability of government, but also support the use of the RTI in various other sectors to demand accountability.
History
The campaign has its roots in the work and experiences of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan. It was established in 1996 at a gathering of more than a hundred activist organisations. Later that year, it drafted the first version of a Right to Information Law in India, along with the Press Council of India. The city of Beawar now has an official plaque that pays tribute to the Chang Gate protest which has a pivotal moment in the fight for the RTI. This history has been documented in the book, among others, RTI Story by Aruna Roy and MKSS Collective (Roli Books, 2018).
Anti-Corruption Bills
The National Campaign for People's Right to Information demanded the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2011, be amended, including by a clearer definition of victimization, protection for persons other than the whistleblowers who provide relevant information, penalty for mala fide revelation of the identity of whistleblowers, a time limit for complaints and provision for filing anonymous complaints.
The campaign has steadily fought for the passage of the Whistleblower Protection bill since September 2010. As a part of public action for the passage of the bill, families of whistleblowers gathered in Delhi to demand the immediate passage of the bill. The Whistleblower Protection bill was passed on 21 February 2014.
The other Bill that the NCPRI advocated for was a Grievance Redressal Bill.
Affiliate Organisations & Resources
There are several organizations and individuals that are part of the NCPRI. Some of them are as follows:
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) Mahiti Adhikar Manch Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) Satark Nagrik Sangathan Kerala Chapter, NCRPI Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan
Opposition to RTI Amendments 2019
The NCPRI opposed the RTI Amendment Bill 2019, and more details on the campaign position can be found on their official website here. In response to the amended law, the 'Use RTI, Demand Accountability' campaign has been launched.
Important RTI's
On Electoral Bonds: - SBI received Rs. 3.47 crore as commission, Dec 2020 - Rs. 1000 Electoral Bond unclaimed - Quantity of Bonds sold since 2018 - 2/3 donations to parties via bonds - More Party Funding, Ever More Opaque COVID & Lockdown: - RTI reveals CPIO of Chief Labour Commissioner's Office has no Data about Stranded Migrant Workers despite April 2020 Enumeration Circular - CIC issues advisory to the Chief Labour Commissioner to publish stranded migrant workers' data within a week- RTI Impact - Union Health Ministry appoints Nodal Officer to collect and publish country-wide COVID Hospitals List in compliance with CIC's recent Advisory - Under India's RTI Act- Union Health Ministry and ICMR plead ignorance about National COVID Vaccine Expert Group's records Misc - 12 Top Nationalised Banks Wrote Off Rs6.32 Lakh Crore in 8 Years; Recovered Just 7% of Write Off Debt from Big Defaulters, Nov 2020 - SC Rejects RTI Exonerating Justice Gogoi - After demonetisation decision making RTIs RBI pro-actively disclosed minutes of meetings - OBC Farmers constitute 41.5% of PM-Kisan beneficiaries, Nov 2020 Pathalgadi, Jharkhand: Even though the govt announced a year ago withdrawal of all the Pathalgadi cases, RTI replies show that the administration has recommended withdrawal of only 60% cases and no case has been withdrawn yet.See Details of RTI