National RTI Helpline Launched

The National RTI (Right to Information) helpline launched by Parivartan and The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust (MST) and supported by IT major, Mphasis has moved to Bangalore. The new number of the helpline is (080) 666-00-999.

The Helpline offers information in three languages: English, Hindi and Tamil. It is open 7 days a week, from 8 am – 8 pm.

The RTI helpline will:

• provide information about the RTI Act


• guide you about how the Act can help resolve specific issues


• walk you through the application, first and second appeal process


• provide list of Public Information Officers and APIOs


• provide contacts of RTI Activists across the country.

Till date, the Helpline has received over 7500 calls to from all over the country.

You can find out more about the Right to Information Act at http://persmin.nic.in/RTI/WelcomeRTI.htm

Source: email communication from Shri Jaishankar, Trustee, Manjunath Shanmugam Trust to Dr Harini Nagendra, Adjunct Fellow, ATREE

About the NGOs
Parivartan is a Delhi based citizens' movement trying to ensure a just, transparent and accountable governance started in January 2000 by Arvind Kejriwal, 2006 Magsaysay Award winner and IIT Kharagpur alumnus. You can find out more about Parivartan at http://www.parivartan.com

MST is an international IIM alumni initiative set up to improve governance in Indian public life. Manjunath Shanmugam, a sales officer with Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and an IIM-Lucknow alumnus, was murdered on November 19th 2005 in Lakhimpur Khiri, UP, following his efforts to curb oil adulteration. A petrol pump dealer and seven accomplices were found guilty by the Lakhimpur Khiri Sessions court on 23 March 2007.The prime accused has been awarded the death sentence, and the others life imprisonment. You can access the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust at www.manjunathshanmugamtrust.org or call #+9199805-57735

image source: www.cepolina.com