Jankari – Digital Rights of India and South Asia, DEF

JAANKARI is a unique initiative by the Government of Bihar to expand the base of right to information (RTI) access by citizens. The centre has been innovatively and effectively employed in making RTI Act ore broad based and accessible to the common man by bridging the literacy and digital divide.

Established in 2007, JAANKARI Facilitation centre is the first kind of its centres that is equipped with over 15 sets of computers, operators, necessary software for application, telecom interface and voice recording hardware and software. The RTI application with the concerned state government department works on premium rate services of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

The system has been designed in such a way that enables citizens to file an application under the RTI Act without any hassles of physical movement for purchasing postal order. To make the centre easily accessible for citizens, Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (BELTRON) provided RPI E-Lines of BSNL at the facilitation centre. Moreover, the Department of Communication, Govt. of India has allotted specific 6 digit code of level (Dial 155310 & 155311) to make the RTI Facilitation Centre accessible to every citizens of Bihar from all telephones. Thus, now all the relevant information is a phone call away, enabling the citizens to access information under the control of public authorizes. With the launch of this centre, the state
government is fulfilling the objective of promoting transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority. The RTI facilitation centre is available in both Hindi and English language.