New Delhi: Slain Gujarat-based RTI activist
Amit Jethwa has been chosen for a gallantry award instituted
by a voluntary organisation working in the field of
transparency.
The organisation, National RTI Forum, has instituted
several gallantry awards for RTI activists who have dared the
adversities to get information from government on the issues
concerning larger public interest and exposing corruption in
the process.
Jethwa will be given the 'Satish Shetty Award for
Gallantry' posthumously.
The 'Lalit Mehta Award for Gallantry' is being given to
Biswajit Mohanty who is also a wildlife activist based in
Orissa. Mohanty has used the transparency law in his area of
work to bring corruption in forest department. Through his RTI
application he brought out misuse of forest vehicle case,
transfer of forest rangers case, liquor shop case, Posco case
and Vedanta case.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service Officer of
2002 batch, has been chosen for 'Shashidhar Mishra Award for
Gallantry'. Posted as DFO Hissar, Chaturvedi exposed the
alleged malafide of state government in cases related to
Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary, Fatehabad Herbal Park among
others.
The awards themselves are being named after several
prominent RTI activist from across the country who were
murdered because of their activism.
Satish Shetty was from Pune while Shashidhar Mishra,
locally known as 'Khabri Lal' was from Begusarai in Bihar.
Lalit Kumar Mehta was based in Jharkhand.
"The National RTI Forum has started these Gallantry
awards in remembrance of all such RTI martyrs and shall be
presenting these awards to such RTI activists who are showing
a new path to the society through their sincere and brave use
of RTI," said Amitabh Thakur, an IPS officer who is the brain
behind the Forum.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 23:07