Arvind Kejriwal is an Indian social activist and crusader for greater transparency in Government. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Emergent Leadership award in 2006 for activating India's Right to Information movement at grassroots level  and  to use it to empower the poorest citizens to fight corruption by holding the government answerable to the people.

After graduating as a mechanical engineer from IIT Kharagpur in 1989, he joined the civil services in the Indian Revenue Service (1992). Here he soon realized that much of the corruption prevalent in government is due to lack of transparency in the process. Even while in his official position, he started crusading against the corrupt practices. After several years on Extra-Ordinary Leave from the Government, he resigned his official post and now devotes full time to his work as the founder-head of Parivartan - a Delhi based citizens’ movement trying to ensure just, transparent and accountable governance.

Initially, Arvind was instrumental in bringing in a number of changes to increase transparency in the Income Tax office. Together with Aruna Roy and others, he campaigned for the Right to Information Act, which was passed in 2005. In July 2006, he spearheaded an awareness campaign for RTI across India.

Currently Arvind is a Fellow of the Ashoka Trust. 2004. He spoke to Lokvani about how the Right to Information Act is shifting the power equation and putting governance back in the hands of the people.

You are a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology where you trained to be a mechanical engineer. What motivated you to seek employment in the Indian Revenue Services?

I joined Tata Steel after graduating from IIT and did use my Mechanical Engineering skills. All along I had a desire to improve life in India but did not have a focus or clear direction. Later I was fortunate to meet IITians who had joined the Civil Service and learnt about the power the positions held to make a difference. I took the exam and my rank placed me in the Indian Revenue Service.  That was the beginning of my career with IRS.

How did you transition from being an IRS employee to becoming an activist? 

As an IRS employee I was given many challenging assignments. The assignments especially with Multinational companied showed me the clever ways in which the rich evade paying tax. I also saw the power in the position. One had the ability to earn almost one to one-half Crore Rupees a year in bribes.  I saw extortionist bribing prevalent in many sectors of society and I realized how dangerous it was for people were beginning to believe that there is nothing wrong in giving or taking bribes.  Seeing the corruption, I was very motivated to do something about it.

The defining moment for me was when a few friends and I decided to do something about corruption at the IRS. We gave out pamphlets to people telling them if they have a problem we would get it resolved without payment of bribes. This became very successful and we felt really positive that we could make a difference even though in a small way. While this was nice, we noticed that the people coming to the IRS were fairly well to-do people and hence we were not reaching out to the poor.

Our next stop was the Delhi Electricity Board where extortionist bribery was rampant. I decided to take a two year sabbatical from IRS and every day between 11:00 and 1:00 at the electricity board office and help people fill out public grievances notice. We would then take the notice and talk to the officials at the board and get problems resolved without paying bribes.

While all this was inspiring we soon realized that this was not a scalable solution. In 2001 I read in the newspaper that the Delhi Government had passed the Right to Information (RTI)Act. As I read it I saw its immense potential and we started using it. The act made it possible for any citizen to get work done using the RTI act without any support form people like us. All we had to do was publicize it and act as facilitators. This was a model that could be scaled to help every citizen. That was exciting.

Could you describe the Right To Information Act?

The Right to Information Act 2005 (Act No. 22/2005) is a law enacted by the Parliament of India giving Indians access to Government records. Under the terms of the Act, any citizen of India may request a department of the Central Government, State Government or Public Sector company or bank for information on almost any question related to the department or company's functioning. The government body is expected to comply within thirty days, failing which the officials responsible for non-compliance face financial penalties and, in persistent cases, jail terms.

 What was the motivation for Governments to pass it and what is your specific contribution to this movement?

Since the 1990’s under the leadership of Smt. Arun Roy, an IAS officer who quit her job to help improve the lives of the poor in Rajasthan, there has been an emphasis on the Right to Information. She started working on getting minimum wage as prescribed by the government for the workers. Often officers would charge the government minimum wage and pay less to the workers, while keeping the difference for personal use. She wanted the right to inspect ledgers. Without Right To Information Act, this is not possible. That was the genesis of the movement.

My friends and I at Parivartan were able to creatively us this act to bring greater transparency to the Government.

What are the activities that you are now engaged in?

The RTI is under constant threat and we have to work to protect it. RTI has the potential to change the power equation. We would like the governance to change so that there is more power to the local people. I am currently engaged in research to define a good model that may bring about effective local governance.

What can NRIs and others do to help your cause?

Earlier, it was impossible to say no to bribes. You would be harassed to no end if you did  that. Not any more. If you use RTI, your work gets done without bribes and without any  harassment. So, please do not give bribes anymore. Spread the word to all your relatives  and friends in India. We also need your help to protect RTI. The Chief Information Officer of
India has gone on record saying he is a believer in “Ahimsa” and hence will not penalize  anyone who does not adhere to the RTI. This is a grave threat to transparency. We have to prevent such officers from holding positions of power. You should write petitions to the President and the Chief Justice to make sure that the Chief Information Commissioner  works in accordance to the law.

I hear you are going to be part of the PAN IIT 2006 meeting in December where IITians are going to gather to discuss Nation Building initiatives. What do you see as the value of such a conference?

IIT trained me to be thinker and a doer. It gave me a lot of confidence. IITians have the power, brains, connections and financial resources to bring about change. So I am excited about the conference where IITians will talk about nation building activities and I am sure good things will come out of it

Thank you for your time

Thank you

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