Kabir | Right to Information

Kabir has also worked with top Indian media organizations such as the NDTV news channel and newspapers like The Hindustan Times and The Hindu and more than 700 organizations, to run a two week long “Drive against Bribe” Campaign in July 2006 to promote the use of RTI across the country. More than 1500 volunteers were trained to assist citizens in preparing RTI applications in 55 cities. In collaboration with an advertising agency, Kabir also created print material for the campaign.

Till date, Kabir has organized two tri-party meetings of State Information Commissioners, users and activists in Chitrakoot and Gouravpur in Uttar Pradesh in August and September 2007. These conferences provide these sometimes antagonistic parties with a forum to learn from each other and strengthen their cooperation in addressing each others difficulties and frustrations with regard to utilizing the Act, preserving and strengthening it, or adjudicating and implementing as the case may be.

Kabir convened a RTI Activists Meeting in Pune in May, 2007 which brought together over 170 activists for the first time since the implementation of the RTI Act in 2005.

Kabir has also pioneered a campaign in December 2006 called “Questions from my Village” in five rural villages of Uttar Pradesh of various socioeconomic stratums to promote the use of RTI in collaboration with local level organizations.

Along with Parivartan and other activist organizations Kabir played in instrumental role in supporting the ‘Right to Water Campaign' in Delhi by putting together the documents and reports in support of the campaign and by creating a film on the campaign.

Kabir has been instrumental in implementation and setting up of a unique RTI application Line and helpline in Bihar by the state government. The helpline allows all citizens, who might not be literate or those who simply prefer the convenience, can file an RTI application to the State of Bihar over the phone.

Kabir has continuously supported Manjunath Shanmugam Trust to setup the National RTI Helpline primarily by training the call center staff how to respond to RTI queries.