Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Political Science

Chapter

Politics in India Since Independence: Rise of Popular Movements

Question:

Read the passage and answer the question:

The movement for the Right to Information (RTI) is one of the few recent examples of a movement that did succeed in getting the state to accept its major demand. The movement started in 1990 when a mass-based organisation called the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in Rajasthan took the initiative in demanding records of famine relief work and accounts of labourers. The demand was first raised in Bhim Tehsil in a very backward region of Rajasthan. The villagers asserted their right to information by asking for copies of bills and vouchers and names of persons on the muster rolls who have been paid wages on the construction of schools, dispensaries, small dams and community centres. On paper, such development projects were all completed, but it was common knowledge of the villagers that there was gross misappropriation of funds. In 1994 and 1996, the MKSS organised Jan Sunwais or Public Hearings, where the administration was asked to explain its stand in public.

The movement had a small success when they could force an amendment in the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act to permit the public to procure certified copies of documents held by the Panchayats. The Panchayats were also required to publish on a board and in newspapers the budget, accounts, expenditures, policies and beneficiaries. In 1996 MKSS formed National Council for People’s Right to Information in Delhi to raise RTI to the status of a national campaign.

What did the public hearings (Jan Sunwais) conducted by MKSS involve?

Options:

Educating villagers on farming techniques

Requesting the administration to provide employment to people in various developmental projects

Forcing administration to implement important government schemes in the village

Forcing the administration to publicly explain its actions

Correct Answer:

Forcing the administration to publicly explain its actions

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 4 - Forcing the administration to publicly explain its actions

Option 1- Educating villagers on farming techniques
Option 2- Requesting the administration to provide employment to people in various developmental projects
Option 3- Forcing administration to implement important government schemes in the village
Option 4- Forcing the administration to publicly explain its actions

As per the passage:

The demand was first raised in Bhim Tehsil in a very backward region of Rajasthan. The villagers asserted their right to information by asking for copies of bills and vouchers and names of persons on the muster rolls who have been paid wages on the construction of schools, dispensaries, small dams and community centres. On paper, such development projects were all completed, but it was common knowledge of the villagers that there was gross misappropriation of funds. In 1994 and 1996, the MKSS organised Jan Sunwais or Public Hearings, where the administration was asked to explain its stand in public.