When she signed up to do her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Right to Information (R.T.I), little did she realize the kind of impact her research study would create. Raman Vidhya, who serves as Assistant Professor in the Depart of Visual Communication at GRD College of Arts and Science, insists that what started off as a Ph.D. has done its bit in impacting several people’s lives. This Coimbatore-based assistant professor registered for her Ph.D. in R.T.I in 2010 under guide Dr. V. Natraj of Periyar University, Salem, and she has successfully cleared her defence (viva voce) within three years from registering. Her thesis is titled ‘A study of factors influencing the adoption of R.T.I.’

“The Ph.D. involved my meeting several citizens, government officials, and representatives from various N.G.Os. In my Ph.D., I have presented the attitude of the government officials towards R.T.I, and the impact R.T.I has on citizens. Having completed my research study, I would like to reiterate that it is not just enough having access to the information through R.T.I. People who obtain information must use the same judicially. I’m positive that a few years down the line, this aspect too will improve,” Vidhya says.

Prior to registering for her Ph.D., Vidhya was the faculty who was responsible for ensuring that the students of her department are taken as internees during their semester break. She found herself in the Coimbatore office of All India Radio (A.I.R), as she had to explain to her students the nuances of radio broadcasting, while a handful of them were interning there. It was at this time Vidhya cleared the auditions at A.I.R. She was given the task of planning the script and broadcasting an English programme every Wednesday on A.I.R. On one of the days, she was asked to present a programme on R.T.I. From then on, her tryst with R.T.I began.

“This was truly an eye opener for me. I did a lot of research online and this made me aware of so many aspects of R.T.I. This also prompted me to do a Ph.D. in this subject,” Vidhya says. She did a three-month certificate programme on R.T.I from Symbiosis Institute too.
Having researched on this subject, Vidhya insists that it is not just enough having access to information. This is just one part. How people make use of the information that they obtain is what matters. She shares with us that a lot needs to be done in order to create awareness among people about the power of R.T.I. “R.T.I is the people’s right in a democracy. When used judicially, R.T.I can empower the people,” Vidhya says.

She shares with us how R.T.I that was used in Coimbatore by a group of citizens saved them for losing their land.

About a decade ago, several people who owned land close to the Coimbatore International Airport were forced to mentally prepare themselves to lose their lands. The Government had made official its plans of expanding the international airport in Coimbatore. As part of the massive expansion plans, the government announced that it would acquire the lands near the Coimbatore International Airport. One of the citizens who stood to lose their lands filed an R.T.I. Through the R.T.I, the blueprint for airport expansion was obtained. The exact lands that that were required for the expansion of the International Airport were also made known. This saved several land owners from losing their land. “This is the power of R.T.I,” Vidhya ends.