Articles – MKSS Visual Archive

Separate rights from freebies

This editorial argues that India’s welfare must be rooted in rights, not charity. Drawing from the Right to Information movement and MKSS’s village-level audits, it explains how public entitlement laws like MGNREGA reshaped the relationship between the citizen and the state. Instead of discretionary doles, the piece advocates legal guarantees that citizens can claim and verify. It calls for a Minimum Income Guarantee and a strong accountability framework where budgets, outcomes, and delivery systems are transparently monitored. The argument is simple: rights create dignified access and a social contract; freebies depend on politics, weaken institutions, and fade with time.

Activists launch campaign to control hate violence

Activists Unite to Combat Hate Violence Through People-Led Action

To address the growing challenge of hate violence and social division, activists and concerned citizens in Rajsamand have launched a people-centred campaign focused on harmony and collective safety. This initiative proposes a Citizen Council that will document hate crimes, provide support to victims, and hold authorities accountable for fair investigation and justice. Volunteers from several Indian states joined hands to promote peaceful coexistence, responsible governance, and the right to equality. Through public awareness meetings, community dialogues, and solidarity networks, the campaign seeks to ensure that no one is targeted for their identity. When communities unite against hatred, peace becomes a shared responsibility.

Gig Workers’ Rights Shaped by Grassroots Struggles in Rajasthan

The Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers Act represents a historic shift in how app-based workers are recognized and protected. Inspired by decades of worker movements, especially those led by informal labour groups, the law challenges the exploitation built into the gig economy. It ensures social security, fair wages, accountability from companies, and legal rights for delivery workers, drivers, and other platform-based employees. By acknowledging workers as equal contributors rather than disposable service providers, the law strengthens dignity and financial security. This landmark achievement shows that when workers unite and demand justice collectively, they can reshape the future of labour and influence national policy.

Squeezing a lifeline for rural poor – MGNREGA

MGNREGA Funding Cuts Threaten the Livelihoods of Rural Workers

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has long served as a lifeline for rural families facing unemployment and poverty. However, recent budget reductions have raised serious concerns about the programme’s future and its ability to provide the promised 100 days of work. Many workers continue to struggle with delayed wages, reduced work availability, and lack of transparency in implementation. In a period of rising living costs and economic vulnerability, weakening the programme directly impacts the poorest households. Strengthening MGNREGA funding and ensuring accountability are essential to protect rural livelihoods, uphold constitutional rights, and support India’s commitment to social justice.

Why grievance redress cannot wait

Access to a fair and timely grievance redressal system is a fundamental democratic right that connects citizens directly to accountability within governance. When people face delays in receiving public services or essential entitlements, they must have a legal mechanism to challenge failure without fear or financial burden. The proposed grievance redressal bill aims to ensure that public authorities acknowledge and resolve complaints within a fixed timeframe, while holding officials responsible for inaction. The lack of such a system in India has led to prolonged suffering and distrust in institutions. Strengthening grievance redressal is necessary to protect citizens’ rights, improve governance, and uphold the constitutional promise of justice for all.

Information as Empowerment

Access to information is a powerful tool that allows people to understand governance, demand accountability, and actively participate in democracy. Through the Right to Information movement, citizens have gained the ability to question the decisions affecting their lives and challenge corruption or misuse of power. When individuals can obtain truthful and timely information, they become confident to speak up for their rights and ensure public funds are used for public good. Empowerment begins when people are informed, aware, and included in decision-making processes. Strengthening public participation and protecting the right to information are essential steps towards a more transparent, just, and people-centered society.

Right to Protest: Protecting Freedom and Democracy

The right to protest is a fundamental democratic freedom that allows citizens to express dissent, question authority, and demand justice. When governments attempt to silence public voices through bans, restrictions, or misuse of laws like Section 144, it weakens democracy itself. Peaceful protest is not a threat—it is a safeguard that keeps the state accountable and responsive to people’s needs. History shows that important social and political reforms have emerged because people raised their voices together. Protecting the right to protest ensures freedom of expression, equality, and participation in public decision-making. A strong democracy grows when citizens are free to speak, assemble, and challenge injustice.

Privacy as a fundamental right – Aadhaar debate

Privacy as a Fundamental Right: Protecting Dignity in the Digital Age

The Supreme Court of India’s landmark judgment recognizing privacy as a fundamental right marks a major transformation in how citizens are protected under the Constitution. By linking privacy to dignity, liberty, and personal freedom, the court affirmed that individuals must have control over their personal information and choices. This decision has strong implications for policies like Aadhaar, ensuring that no citizen is denied essential services for lack of biometric verification. In a world where data collection is rapidly expanding, privacy shields people from surveillance, misuse of personal data, and arbitrary state actions. Safeguarding privacy strengthens democracy and empowers citizens to live without fear or coercion.

Interview – The next step after RTI is accountability law

Accountability Law: The Next Step in Strengthening the Right to Information

After the success of the Right to Information movement, citizens now need a strong accountability law to ensure timely and fair action from public officials. While RTI empowers people to access information, it does not guarantee that authorities will resolve problems when governance fails. An accountability law would make every public department responsible for providing services within a fixed time and impose penalties for negligence or delay. This reform would protect the rights of the most vulnerable, especially in schemes like MGNREGA, pensions, and ration access. Strengthening accountability is the natural next step toward a transparent, responsive, and truly people-centric democracy.

Nonviolent struggle led to RTI and MGNREGA

Non-violent Struggle from Bhim Leads to Laws Ensuring Employment and Right to Information

The peaceful movement that emerged from Bhim in Rajasthan grew into one of India’s strongest public struggles for rights and dignity. Led by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), activists like Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, and Shankar Singh mobilized ordinary villagers to demand fair wages, transparency, and accountability in governance. This grassroots struggle eventually resulted in two historic national laws—the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Right to Information Act (RTI). These laws empower citizens to secure employment and uncover how public funds are used. It is a powerful example of how collective, non-violent action can shape democracy and change the nation.

Why Independent Institutions Are Crucial for Preventing Abuse of Power and Corruption

Independent bodies such as information commissions, vigilance institutions, and audit authorities are essential for holding the government accountable to the people. When these institutions are weakened or controlled by the ruling power, the space for transparency shrinks, and corruption finds protection. This article emphasizes that democracy cannot function properly if citizens lose the ability to question the administration or demand their rights. Institutional independence ensures that complaints are addressed fairly, misuse of public funds is exposed, and services reach those who need them. Protecting these bodies safeguards constitutional freedoms and prevents power from becoming oppressive or unrestrained.

RTI’s 20-Year Journey: A People’s Movement That Grew Into a National Force

The Right to Information movement, which began in 1996 from Chaarng Gate in Bhim, Rajasthan, started with a simple but powerful demand — the right to seek information and the right to live with dignity. What began as a local struggle soon connected thousands of citizens, transforming into a nationwide caravan for transparency and justice. The success of this movement led to the passing of India’s landmark RTI Act in 2005, giving every citizen the power to question how public money is used. Even today, activists emphasize that accountability and openness remain critical to protect democracy and to ensure the rights earned through struggle are not weakened.

A New Fight Begins from Bhim Against Threats Posed by the Data Protection Act

Bhim, Rajasthan — the birthplace of the RTI movement — has once again become the center of a major democratic struggle. Social activists and former Information Commissioners have raised concerns that the new Data Protection Act may restrict transparency and weaken citizens’ right to information. At a national RTI fair held in Bhim, speakers emphasized that people must protect the right that empowers them to question the government. They warned that giving excessive control over data to authorities can allow corruption and misuse of power to flourish in secrecy. The movement calls for safeguarding both privacy and accountability so democracy remains strong and people’s voices stay powerful.

Aruna Roy Calls for a New Movement Against the Data Protection Act

At a major gathering in Beawar — the birthplace of the RTI movement — social activist Aruna Roy issued a strong appeal to resist the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act. She warned that the Act could restrict citizens’ right to information by giving excessive control to the government over what data is shared. According to Roy, transparency and accountability are essential pillars of democracy, and any law that limits public access to information must be challenged. The RTI movement had empowered people to question corruption and demand justice. Now, a new struggle is required to ensure that privacy protection does not become a tool for secrecy and suppression.

Candlelight before codification

The town of Beawar in Rajasthan, where the RTI movement began, recently hosted a gathering to commemorate 20 years of the RTI Act. Activists and citizens reflected on the struggles that shaped India’s most powerful transparency law. The celebration highlighted how access to information transformed lives by exposing corruption and enabling people to demand accountability. However, the event also expressed rising concerns over the new Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which many believe could be used to block access to crucial records. The message was clear: the spirit of RTI must be protected, and citizens must remain vigilant to safeguard their democratic rights.