To create awareness on the Right to Information Act, city-based NGO It’s Time to Make a Difference (ITMD) on Sunday released a short film Melukolupu. The film is directed by ITMD team member and software engineer M Sreenivas. Sreenivas is employed with Oracle.
ITMD plans to screen the film in rural areas to create awareness on RTI among the lesser privileged sections. The film narrates the importance of reacting to wrongdoings around us and tells how one can effectively make use of the RTI Act for grievance redressal.
ITMD has also begun online assistance for citizens wanting to file an RTI. “Templates are available on our website for RTI letters to the government on various topics. This is to help those who are not familiar with the format of filing RTI,” said Panasa Rama Krishna, president of ITMD. “In the past four months, about 400 templates have been downloaded from our website which reflects the increasing concern among the common man to be more involved in governance,” chipped in the members of the organisation.
In the next two months, ITMD is planning to create awareness about schemes that are not effectively reaching the beneficiaries such as the PDS and Indiramma Housing, the members said. Speaking on the occasion Chief Information Commissioner Jannat Hussain said, “RTI has made a tremendous impact on the country yet, rural India lacks awareness about the powerful tool. Also, a majority of those in urban areas who are familiar with the name of the Act do not know the details and its importance. NGOs should come together to create this awareness among people.”
Jannat Hussain who was present at the third anniversary programme of ITMD, lauded the NGO’s work in creating awareness about Right to Information. The rule is to give out information sought by the public and the bureaucrats will abide by it, he added.
