Firstpost:
New Delhi: Wednesday, 22 October 2014.
How many
times did former prime minister Manmohan Singh address the public during his
10-year tenure? The answer is 1,300 times.
That's what
the reply to an RTI query by Himadrish Suwan from the Prime Minister's office
said.
"The
reply was quite amusing. From 24 June, 2004 to 31 May, 2013, the then prime minister
spoke 1,300 times on different issues. Interestingly, the PMO even included
Singh's one-line replies to media queries in the list of speeches,” he told
Firstpost.
The query of
the 17-year-old almost made the prime minister's office accept that the former
prime minister speaking even two sentences was a like delivering a speech!
Meet Suwan,
the RTI warrior, who has just been honoured with the Young Achiever's Award by
the International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP). The award
for information activism came on the recommendation of the Confederation of
Indian Universities on the World Teachers' Day.
Suwan, who is
pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science from Shaheed Bhagat Singh
College of Delhi University, has so far filed 100 RTIs "in the larger
interest of people". He thinks RTI is a formidable tool to fight
corruption. It can bring in transparency and accountability. It will also build
pressure on authorities, the teenager added.
"I file
an RTI query whenever I face problems in getting something done by the
government officials. It puts pressure on public authorities and makes them
answerable," he said.
When Suwan
was 15, he sought a reply from the railway ministry on the pathetic condition
of the New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express. He used to take the train often to go
to Ranchi to meet his grandparents during vacations.
The Indian
Railways swung into action once the RTI was filed and changed 16 ICF coaches
with LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches, which are ideal for high-speed trains.
The LHB coaches are anti-telescopic and in situation of derailment or collision
it prevents the bogies from turning turtle.
"I wrote
to the Railway Ministry in April 2012 asking it why the 20-year-old ICF coaches
of New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani had not been changed with better equipped LHB
coaches. Who will be responsible if any accident occurs? I also brought the
pathetic condition of toilets and interiors of the old coaches into the notice
of the ministry. The then Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal assured me that
the coaches would soon be changed and when it was done, I was informed by the
ministry,” he said.
The worst traffic
jam at IGNOU Road near Saket, where he stays, forced him to file a query with
the Delhi Police. "The reason for the traffic jam was absence of a divider
and lack of traffic police on the busy road. How can an ambulance with a
critically ill patient pass through the area? I asked the police," he said
adding, “Few days later, I saw the impact. Two policemen were permanently
deployed there to control the traffic and a makeshift barricade was erected”.
When asked
who inspired him to file RTI queries, he said he learnt the procedure from one
of his friends who is also involved in RTI activism. "Instead of wasting
time on Facebook, it is better to devote time to such constructive work which
is in the larger interest of the society," Suwan said.
Does this not
come in the way of his studies? The boy, with a good academic performance so
far, said, "I draft RTIs in my free time. If you have your question ready,
it takes few minutes to file an RTI. Everything is online. You need to type
your questions and furnish other details in the given format on RTI website -
https://rtionline.gov.in/"
Although
Suwan is disappointed with the decline in the number of RTIs filed every year.
“Of 10
applicants, only four applicants get satisfactory replies. Government officials
either sideline the rest six RTI applications citing various lame excuses or
they give inadequate information. Applicants need to make repeated attempts to
get information," he added.
“The benefits
of the RTI Act, which completed five years on Tuesday, have not seeped fully
into the core of society in many parts in India. Yet, it is increasingly being
used by the common man - from an elementary school teacher to college
students," he said.
Suwan's
mother is a teacher in a private school here and father is a businessman. Once
done with studies Suwan wants to become a judge.
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