Indian Transparency Competition, 2017, RTI competition: Win prizes by making a difference to governance in India

Simran Sahni

21 Jan 2017 2:20 PM GMT

  • Indian Transparency Competition, 2017, RTI competition: Win prizes by making a difference to governance in India
    iPleaders and onlineRTI are two organizations which are committed to working towards accessible justice and transparency, making a difference in their own gentle way. OnlineRTI is a web portal through which you can file RTIs. iPleaders is working towards making justice more accessible through legal education. This is an opportunity for you to do your bit for bringing more transparency in governance in our beloved country.

    In the Indian Transparency Competition, 2017, which is open to anyone including lawyers, law students, RTI activists and all citizens, you have to file an RTI with a government department of your choice. The RTI can be about any issue you are passionate about. After getting the response from the department, a 1500 word article needs to be written about the response you have received, analyzing or explaining the data you have received. The article will be published in your name. On the basis of the article, RTI application and response received, and the impact of the same the winner will get a prize worth
    INR 15,000
    .

    Further, iPleaders is providing free access to their RTI course (otherwise paid), upon entering the competition. The course has been made by experts with prior hands-on experience in the field. Upon completion of the course, a certificate will be provided to the student. Once you register you can request for a free access to the course by getting a discount code that makes to course free for you. This code will be given to you by Online RTI.com team.

    There are prizes worth INR 30,000 to be won!

    Basics of writing an effective RTI:



    • Firstly, the applicant should be aware of the topic. DO some prelimiary research. See some good RTI questionnaires. This helps in forming accurate questions. Vague or incomprehensible questions receive vague and incomprehensible answers.

    • Research should be done on the current status of the issue, who are all the stakeholders, problems faced by the public till now, etc.

    • Identify the Public Information Officer (PIO)

    • What is the data you are expecting to see in the answer and how that data is recorded or maintained

    • More information can be found by enrolling in the RTI course by iPleaders


    What should the article contain?



    • A rough background on the topic

      • A social, political, and legal background, with an emphasis on the applicable laws, statutes and cases.



    • What was the purpose for the RTI to be filed, what would it achieve and so on.

      • Should include the questions asked and why such questions were asked

      • The entire data/information received or not received



    • An analysis of the response given by the respective department

    • The response should be attached.


    Where do you register?


    Visit https://onlinerti.com/competition to register for the competition and get more details.

    iPleaders course on RTI - How to use Right To Information like an Expert

    Contact person
    - Mili Mishra – mili@onlinerti.com

    Who can participate: Any citizen of India.


    Prizes to be won:



    • Winner - INR 15,000

    • 1st runners up - INR 10,000

    • 2nd runners up - INR 5,000


    Important dates for the competition:



    • Last Date for sending RTI entries: 28th February, 2017 (Every participant can send more than one RTI entry)

    • Last Date for sending RTI responses: 15th April 2017

    • Last Date for submitting article: 10th May 2017

    • Result Announcement: 15th May 2017

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