Campaigns

We have chosen campaigning as one of our tools to create awareness and engage large numbers of youngsters together for a cause.

National Youth Convention on Democracy and Right to Information:

The first National Youth Convention on Right to Information and Democracy was held on the 11th and 12th of January, 2008 in Beawar, Rajasthan. The convention was attended by over 1,000 young participants from both rural and urban areas of 11 states across the country. The convention was organized by NCPRI, along with JOSH and other organizations from Rajasthan like the MKSS, the Jaipur based RTI support group, and citizens groups in Beawar, including the daily local newspaper Nirantar.

The two day convention was held to discuss and focus on the crucial role the youth can play in strengthening Democracy through the use of Right to Information on issues of social importance. The convention was structured with sessions on role of youth in democracy and politics, along with workshops of various concerns like negative impact of globalization, gender, communal politics, agriculture, state of Dalits and Adivasis, budget analysis, Human Rights, Right to Information, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Education and Employment and others. The main objective of these workshops was to create a general understanding on these issues, the challenges and areas, the problems, the role youth can play in addressing these concerns, the role that Right to Information can play in facilitating these problems and finally draw out a plan for action. These workshops were facilitated by eminent resource persons like Jean Drez e, the MKSS team ( Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh and others), Vrinda Grover, Aseem Srivastava, Amit Kanwar, Jogendra Bhagat and others. Shri Sandeep Dikshit, Member of Parliament, was present in this occasion and shared his views on the state of affairs on present Indian politics and the spaces for youth to get involved.

Innovative use of RTI: Fight for Justice for Hashimpura Victims:

40 innocent Muslim citizens of Mohalla Hashimpura, Meerut were killed in May, 1987 in police custody. 19 PAC officials were accused for mass murder for this heinous crime. These accused officials were reinstated and are still serving the PAC. The families of the victims have been awaiting justice for 20 years now.

Marking the 20th anniversary of this crime, many young volunteers of JOSH helped the families of the victims in drafting and filing of 615 Right to Information applications with the PAC on the 24th of May, 2007. it was the first time so many RTI applications were filed on communal violence.

The applications asked for copies of the ACR, reasons and report of departmental enquires undertaken to reinstate the accused officials. The CBCID report was also asked. The success of the campaign was that the PAC handed over the ACRs (Annual Confidential Report) of the 19 accused officials. These documents are now been used as to fight the case at the High Court.

Anti-RTI Amendment Campaign:

JOSH and the famous music band Euphoria staged a protest against the proposed amendment of the RTI Act, at Jantar Mantar on the 7th of August, 2006. This is the first time that a music band sang for a social cause at Jantar Mantar. Over 2,000 students, activist and others participated in this. Veteran RTI activists Aruna Roy, Dr. Sandeep Pandey and Arvind Kejriwal also participated in the protest.

‘Its the Question of Your Answers’ Campaign

JOSH launched this campaign in the different colleges of Universities of Delhi on 9th of September, 2006. On this event Ms. Kiran Bedi and this year Magsaysay winner, Arvind Kejriwal were also present. Under this campaign, students filed more than 400 RTI applications asking for copies of their evaluated answer sheets.

This campaign demanding for answer sheets to instill transparency in the examination system is still on and is been carried on by the Youth Task Force.

Campaign against Nithari Killings

Nithari atrocities and killings that got exposed last year brought shame to the whole country. JOSH organized a campaign where citizens of Delhi filed Right to Information applications to ask questions to the different government agencies. The families of the victims together with eminent personalities like Nirmala Despande, Swami Agniwesh, Mohini Giri and others came together at Jantar Mantar on the 14th of Jan, 2007 where over 60 RTIs were filed and a candle light vigil was held.

Bettiah Campaign:

A one week campaign was launched in Bettiah (Bihar), where small workshops and camps were held to create awareness among students and common people on the Right to Information Act.