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February, 2011 Transparency Review 1 the Bhilwara Achievement Published in October 2009 Iven the Unhappy Record of So Many Official Flood

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February, 2011 Transparency Review 1 the Bhilwara Achievement Published in October 2009 Iven the Unhappy Record of So Many Official Flood Volume IV, No. 1 Frbruary, 2011 Transparency Review Journal of Transparency Studies THE BEST OF AJIT JI jit Bhattacharjea, doyen of Editors for scene in the country - years, is 86 years now and is seriously ill twists and turns Asince last month. He has been actively including. As a mark editing this Transparency Review from the very of respect to Ajit da, outset, March 2006. In fact, he helped to shape I intend to take on his it. For, transparency has been his vision and suggestion seriously mission. That is how he volunteered to edit now. Transparency Review. It has been his baby. He Get well first Ajit. All of us at CMS look forward made sure it offers a platform for the underdog on to see you amidst us soon with your cute smile. the social justice plank. All his editorials reflect certain concern for basic His interest in offering an outlet for dissent on issues which CMS fully shared. Some of his recent reforms and his concern for the poor and editorials in Transparency Review will be good governance issues has been all through. His reproduced starting with this issue. support for grass roots movements which deepen On this occasion two pertinent “think pieces” democracy truly, as in the case of MKSS headed are specially published in this issue. One on “The by Aruna Roy, is too evident. dilemmas of development and democracy in His devotion to the Transparency Review was India” was by Mani Shankar Aiyar at the national all through, unconcerned of doctor’s advise in the lecture on “Analyzing and Envisioning India” and last few months. He never missed to bring out any the other was on “Capitalism, Regulate, Rework, issue of Transparency Review. Even now he wants Transform” of Prof. K S Jacob fist published in to carry through the task. We wish him recovery The Hindu on 22.1.2011. first. We hope he would complete profiling As the one who started media research in the “Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana in country, including viewership studies, I was the Rajasthan” which he had taken up as a part of one to point out the perils of “TRP” approach tracing origins of the movement for transparency more than a decade ago. I&B Ministry took this in governance and public offices. long to realize the magnitude of the calamity and Each time I met him, atleast once a fortnight, appointed a committee. Their recommendations, he has been reminding me to put down my own submitted last month, are given here along with engagement of 40 years (since 1970) with media two of our earlier writings on the topic. -NBR CONTENTS AJIT’S EDITS Historic Judgment On RTI The Bhilwara Achievement Mortal Threat To Media Hamara Paisa: Hamara Hisab The Dilemma of Development And Capitalism: Regulate, Rework, Democracy in India Transform K.S. Jacob Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar RIGHT TO INFORMATION Delete RTI Rules To Strengthen - Cong Advocates RTI On Corporate Activists Sector Jal Khanbata Plan Panel To Launch Website For Pending Cases At CIC Double Up Feedback On Policies Seema Sindhu Nivedita Khandekar Bring PPP Projects Under RTI:CIC RTI Cases Via Video Conferencing Nidhi Sharma Activists Demand SMS Alert For RTI Political Biggies, RTI Hog Limelight in Viju B HC This Year Amit Anand Choudhary & Prabhati Nayak Mishra Tripura Indroduces Online RTI Filings MEDIA REVIEW Broadcasting Social Change Is It A “TRP Trap” Or Hijacking PN Vasanti Indian Television? Dr. N Bhaskara Rao Recommendation of the “TRP Televison Viewership Measurement Committee” Of Ministry Of Information :Dilemma And Challenges & Broadcasting PN Vasanti Naming Shaming: As With Radia Tapes! Dr. N Bhaskara Rao Editor: Ajit Bhattacharjea TRANSPARENCY STUDIES The Right to Information Act 2005 represents a historic breakthrough in recognising the citizen’s democratic rights to monitor measures affecting the public good. Following adoption of the Act by the Parliament of India, the CMS has set up a Transparency Studies wing to document, examine and publicise the interrelation between governance and society in all its aspects. It facilitates dissemination of relevant material, confers with experts and field workers and networks with the media to promote implementation and awareness. The functions of Transparency Studies include: l Publishing and distribution by electronic mail of Transparency Review, a journal designed to publicise news, articles and documentation concerning developments in Right to Information and the overall interface between governance and society. Priority is given to right to education, especially of children; right to work; right to justice and associated human and social rights, especially at the grassroots. l Operating Transparency Features to disseminate articles and information on the above. l Linking with civil society groups to further common objectives like exposing corruption, monitoring elections, improving civic services. l Arranging discussions on emerging issues and problems between specialists and mediapersons. RESEARCH HOUSE, Saket Community Centre, New Delhi 110 017 India P: 91.11.2686 4020, 2685 1660; F: 91.11.2696 8282 E: [email protected], [email protected] W: www.cmsindia.org/cmstransparency AJIT’S EDITS Historic Judgment On RTI Published in February 2010 hen the first issue of Transparency unmistakable terms: “Wielders of power condition Weekly appeared nearly four years ago, that they account for their stewardship to the people Wthe heading on the cover was “The who authorize them to exercise such powers,” The Journey Begins.” Implemented six months earlier, judgment will go down in history. the Right to Information Act had made a limited In our section on Right to Work we note basic impact but was encountering serious bureaucratic differences between the authors of NREGA and C.P. hurdles. We described its mission as “nothing less Joshi, Minister for Rural Development. aroused by than to transform the culture of secrecy inherited his move to dovetail plans for his Bhilwara and maintained from colonial times to the culture of constituency. The diversion of NREGA for administrative transparency required in a truly constructing panchayat at buildings has sparked the democratic society.” dispute The long distance travelled since then is recognised A regular Media Review section has been started by the recent landmark judgment of the Delhi High in response to the widespread concern aroused by Court describing Right to Information as “the most articles on Paid News, Vice-President Hamid significant event in the life of Indian democracy.” Ansari’s lucid, wide-ranging address sets the tone. As reported in this issue, the judgment declares that Critics maintain that in view its role as the Fourth even the Chief Justice of India is accountable to RTI. Estate, a mechanism should be devised to extend It spells out the all-inclusive range of the Act in RTI to media as well. Mortal Threat To Media Published in December 2009 he practice of newspapers accepting money he was engaged in campaigning to arouse awareness to portray advertisements as news is not of the mounting danger to the media. He circulated Tnew. Major dailies and journals have yielded examples of tainted coverage and the rate cards put to the temptation of publishing ‘advertorials’ by failing out by leading Hindi newspapers for publishing to mark clearly that a column or supplement has been favourable handouts and pictures of particular paid for. This may help the advertiser to promote his candidates. He took his complaint to the Chairman case by borrowing the cloak of credibility, but does of the Press Council. grave damages to the credibility of the media. P. Sainath’s exhaustive investigation in The Hindu When the practice is taken to the extent of of promotional coverage in Maharashtra favouring charging huge sums to promote the prospects of the candidature of the Chief Minister shows how particular election candidates, the injury becomes life- deep the disease goes. Veteran journalist Inder threatening. It strikes at the vitals of the democratic Malhotra places the threat in perspective. A wide- process that the media is sworn to uphold; it suggests ranging survey of the business interests influencing that its life-blood of credibility is up for sale. media control and priorities is provided by N. Bhaskar Fortunately, the main news inputs of the papers we Rao, Chairman of the Centre for Media Studies. read every morning seem untainted, but the death of Our previous issue focussed on the Bhilwara credible news looms unless effective protective achievement. It has been blighted, to some extent, measures are devised urgently. by an unexpected reversal of policy. The text of This issue recalls the memory of Prabhash Joshi, Aruna Roy’s protest letter to the Chief Secretary of doyen of Hindi journalists. Before his untimely death, the Rajasthan Government appears within. February, 2011 Transparency Review 1 The Bhilwara Achievement Published in October 2009 iven the unhappy record of so many official flood. NREGA is a carefully targeted move to allay programmes designed to alleviate poverty, their plight that has registered some successes. By Git is easy to be cynical about the National limiting relief to those willing to undertake manual Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), the labour, the Act has combined it with self-respect and ambitious effort to provide the minimal employment constructive work for the community. required to keep workless millions from the verge of What those concerned can do to plug and expose starvation. The cynicism flows from accounts of the corruption was demonstrated by a massive exercise bulk of anti- poverty funds being diverted into the in social audit in the Rajasthan district of Bhilwara. pockets of politicians, officials, contractors and others Much dirt was exposed but that, as the Right of in the easily perforated pipeline between the Information Act has already established, is an authorizing authorities and the luckless intended essential step in cleaning the system.
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