Part 5 of my conversation with Mr. Venkatesh Nayak about his journey as an RTI activist and the challenges he faces along the way…

2015 onwards, availability of funds to conduct trainings for disadvantaged segments of society such as dalits, advisasis, women, persons with disabilities has also been a major challenge. While one would like to take the message of RTI to such groups, neither Governments nor donor agencies are keen on investing funds on such activities. As a result, even today after 16 years of implementation, less than 1% of the citizenry in India uses RTI each year. This is a major challenge in massifying awareness about RTI, particularly among people who are the worst affected by lack of transparency at the cutting edge level of the administration in villages, small towns and remote parts of the country.