The Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005, is considered a historic and one of the most widely accepted legislations in independent India that reimagined and redefined the idea of citizen participation in democracy. The passing of the Act was the culmination of a public movement and campaign for transparency and accountability in public governance, spearheaded initially by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and later by the National Campaign for the Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) in the 1990s and early 2000s in rural Rajasthan.
In 1996, a 44-day sit-in protest (dharna) took place in Beawar, a small town located in central Rajasthan. This event eventually led to a nationwide campaign for the Right to Information, the story of which has been documented in the book The RTI Story. As a tribute to this historic struggle, twenty years later the Municipal Council of Beawar unanimously decided to erect a memorial (shilalekh), at the Chang Gate where the protest was held. This was perhaps the first memorial of the peoples’ right to know anywhere in the world.
The RTI memorial (shilalekh) erected at Beawar by the city council
The government of Rajasthan included a chapter on the “Right to Information movement” in the high school textbook to acknowledge the contribution of the MKSS and the people of Beawar and Bhim for giving the country a unique legislation. The chapter is still part of the state syllabus even after changes in political leadership in the state and it reveals the cross-party recognition and approval of the contributions of the people in rural Rajasthan.
Textbook extract showing reference to the RTI movement in Rajasthan
In 2023, the Government of Rajasthan declared Beawar as a new district and in its inaugural celebrations there were several references to Beawar being the birthplace of the RTI movement. As a result, there was a demand to establish an “RTI Museum” in the area, to acknowledge the contributions of the people towards giving the right to information to the nation.
The founders of the School for Democracy, which is a sister organisation of the MKSS, have been an integral part of the campaign which led to the RTI becoming a national law. The government of Rajasthan was requested, through the District Collector, Beawar, for allotment of land to establish an RTI Museum which would be built and run by the School for Democracy. The Municipality of Beawar passed a unanimous resolution on September 18th, 2023, requesting land allocation to the School for Democracy.
Resolution by the Beawar city council requesting that land be allotted to the School for Democracy for an RTI Museum
Thanks to consistent efforts at multiple levels, on March 11th, 2024, the government of Rajasthan, through the office of the district collector, Beawar (via order no: 12(3)(2)Revenue/2024/494), granted one hectare of land to the School for Democracy to build the RTI Museum in Beawar, which will be the first of its kind Museum in the world.
A living museum
The RTI has proved itself to be one of the most fundamental, constitutional and practical ways to strengthen and deepen Indian democracy in practice. It has also led to the development of social audits as a statutory tool for public monitoring of development programs. This museum will engage citizens in learning and applying these powerful modes of participatory democracy. Through workshops, trainings, courses, etc., the museum will become a contemporary live resource and communication space, documenting the history of transparency and accountability as it is created.
The scope and objective of the RTI Museum
- The RTI museum will be designed with a focus on documenting the history of the RTI movement, in addition to the various provisions in the law. It would showcase the institutional history of MKSS (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan) and the NCPRI (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information) drawing examples and illustrations from experiences from all over India. It will also emphasise the importance of movements in a political and democratic system and show how movements can build a history.
- SFD has access to a wide range of materials including audio, visual, and print related to the RTI movement. The RTI museum will serve as a central repository and an archive for all these documents, materials and film footage available with the MKSS and others. It will function as a resource centre for reference and learning on rights-based movements.
- The resource centre is intended for the general public, as well as activists, researchers, students, fellows, and others. It will be helpful for future generations to understand and learn about democratic movements and campaigns that influenced and shaped national policy.
- The RTI Museum will educate and raise awareness among citizens about transparency and accountability, including the use of the RTI Act, which is key to promoting democracy and furthers the mandate of SFD.
On June 12, 2024, a stone slab with the Preamble of the Constitution inscribed in both Hindi and English was laid on the RTI Museum land.
Inauguration of the stone slab inscribed with the Preamble to the Constitution on the RTI Museum land on 12th June 2024 in the presence of civil society of Beawar
The location of the land at Kesarpura Village, Narbad Kheda Panchayat, Beawar District may be accessed at this link: tinyurl.com/rtimuseumlocation