• Right To Information

Right To Information

To continue to promote RTI through workshops as this is the only way transparency can be maintained

Democracy becomes meaningful only when citizens have access to information on every thing that affects their lives. Laws on the Right to Information provide a proper frame-work for this right.

Information encourages, Participation of citizens in decision-making, Transparency in governance, which greatly minimizes chances of corruption and Accountability, which improves efficiency of government functioning

AGNI launched a citywide campaign on the Right to Information. Five detailed workshops were held between November 2002 and April 2003 to make AGNI Coordinators and volunteers aware of the Central ad Maharashtra laws on the Right to Information and how to use them. AGNI published a booklet to help citizens use this Act and better the governance through transparency. This booklet was in 3 languages.

  • Meet Your Police Events
    "Meet Your Police" Events

    AGNI organized public meetings in the ten police zones of Mumbai during the city police’s Public Awareness Campaign for Prevention of Crimes in 2001. These meetings were attended by senior police officers of the zones and contributed to long-lasting joint action and working relations between citizens and police.

  • Electoral reforms at the national level
    Electoral reforms at the national level

    AGNI represented Maharashtra in the National Campaign for Electoral Reforms (NCER), which works to cleanse the electoral process. It protested against the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance 2002, which curtailed the Fundamental Right to Information. The proposed amendments nullified the Supreme Court’s directive and Election Commission’s orders in May 2002, requiring candidates to reveal their police record (if any), assets, liabilities and educational background.

    AGNI was part of the delegation, which met the President of India to apprise him of the retrograde provisions of the Ordinance. The President returned the Ordinance to the Cabinet for clarifications and reconsideration, and then had to sign when the Cabinet sent it to him yet again. AGNI arranged public meetings to educate the public on the serious implications of the Ordinance, which became an Act and mobilized public opinion in favour of candidate disclosures.

    On a public interest petition, the Supreme Court struck down certain amendments and restored the original provisions of the Election Commission’s order.