Adopting the RTI Act as a mechanism to fight corruption to promote effective aid delivery in India

Abstract

The Right to Information Act was enacted in 2005 in India in response to citizens’ demand for access to information and keenness to stem corruption in the public sphere. Freedom of information is a recognised fundamental human right. There is a strong relationship between access to relevant information and people’s realisation of socio-economic rights. Despite the emphasis of a rights-based approach to development, often the poor and marginalised have little say in the development process. India, which has been heavily dependent on foreign aid for development since independence in 1947, is now an aid-giver while also being an aid recipient. The RTI Act, which started as a small social justice movement in a village in Rajasthan and became a nation-wide campaign for a legislation, “empowers Indian citizens to seek any accessible information from a public authority and makes the government and its functionaries more accountable and responsible.” This paper attempts to broaden the scope of the act by exploring the possibility of ‘adopting the RTI Act as a mechanism to fight corruption to promote effective aid delivery’ and ultimately aims at empowering Indian citizens – a core mandate of the legislation.