In India, corrupt officials and rural elites can manipulate development schemes to their own advantage. This prevents projects from benefiting the poor and perpetuates poverty and social inequality. Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) researches local government records and records interviews. MKSS activists and area residents investigate allegations of corruption in villages or districts. This is often done at the initiative of local residents who feel cheated or abused. MKSS organizes public hearings to expose acts of corruption and hold those in power accountable.

Importance of Access to Information

At the village council or at higher levels of gov­ernment MKSS requests copies of relevant official records. Most often, despite a legal entitlement, the process of obtaining the required information is a struggle with many hurdles. For example, in the state of Rajasthan, MKSS mobilized villagers from several districts, staged sit-ins and generated publicity about the public right to information. As a result, a law was passed that:

• compels officials to provide information upon request
• at a nominal price, and
• copies of documents on any sphere of government activity.

This access to information includes development programs, public resources and expenditures. 

This also sparked a national right-to-information movement. This has led to the passage of similar laws in several other states. I also led to a Freedom of Infor­mation Bill in the national parliament. 

Exposing Corruption

Once MKSS has obtained the official accounts, the organization cross-checks them through site visits and interviews with villagers.

MKSS then holds public hearings to present their findings. Hundreds of villagers attend. Organizers invite the press, gov­ernment officials and those suspected of corruption. MKSS activists, most of whom are from the area, read and explain the official documents. For instance, documents claim that a certain health clinic was built in the village. Or that laborers received a certain amount of payment for a construction project. These documents are then contrasted with actual events.

Activists present the results of their research. Attending villagers provide their own testimony. The hearings last several hours. Organizers review one development project or instance of corruption after another. More recently, public hearings have also been organized around:

• the operations of a local hospital and the public health system
• the functioning of food security schemes, and
• the public distribution system.

Public Hearings as a Tool for Accountability

The impact of public hearings on transparency and accountability issues has been dramatic. But the effects on follow-up official action have been mixed, such as:

• the arrest of a few officials, and
• the start of government investigations.

In some villages the corrupt local officials attending the hearings, when faced with the evidence, agreed to cooperate with the investigations. Some even returned the funds. But, MKSS activ­ists must follow the public hearings with continued agitation and pressure to ensure official action.

For more information on this tactic, read our in-depth case study.