Right to Information (RTI) and Rural Development in India

Since independence in 1947, numerous programs and schemes in India have been launched and massive amounts spent for the development of rural areas. However, the overall socio-economic conditions of rural people continue to be unsatisfactory. Rural India is still marked by many disadvantages, such as a high incidence of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, malnutrition and related diseases, poor infrastructure, and more. The failure is chiefly due to the faulty implementation of development and welfare programs. The enactment of the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 was a landmark in the history of administration in India. The new legislation has brought sensitivity, responsibility, and accountability to the development process in the rural areas. The RTI Act is path-breaking in controlling corruption and delays in the implementation of government sponsored programs and in the functioning of public authorities. This book contains papers by researchers and scholars, who have studied the scope, the different provisions, the strengths, and the shortfalls of the RTI Act. They offer valuable suggestions to make the common man a partner in the development efforts for rural India.