Here are pictures from the Kaladeo wall painting campaign held on 21st January 2013 :

The event was attended by the people, the local administration, MKSS and UNDP.

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) Village Devdungri,
Post Barar 313341, District Rajsamand, Rajasthan

Dear MKSS Saathies,
As a follow up to the Right to Hearing Camps organized in four panchayats of Rajsamand district, the MKSS invites you to Kaladeo Gram Panchayat to participate in a wall painting campaign on the 21st of January, 2013. On this day, each of 16 government departments will publicly disclose (through wall painting) details of goods and services it is supposed to provide, as well as records detailing the names of beneficiaries and what they are due. This exercise will also be a part of the ongoing ‘Prashasan Gaon Ki Or’ where government officials from the block and district are visiting each panchayat to assess the situation of governance.
The State of Rajasthan recently passed a ‘Right to Hearing Act’ making it mandatory for State departments to receive complaints, provide dated receipts, conduct a hearing or ‘sunvai’ of the aggrieved with the concerned department official, and provide written responses within 21 days. On the 27th of December, 2012, the MKSS experimented with organizing ‘Right to Hearing Camps’ in four panchayats in Rajsamand District. At the camps, people came together to file their grievances under the Right to Hearing Act. Government officials were present to receive complaints, give dated receipts and answer queries related to non-payment or non delivery of a particular service or entitlement. Complainants were given a date for a hearing to be able to express their individual grievances. On this date, 4th January 2012, sunvais or hearings were conducted, where the complainants met the officials to discuss their grievance.
The experiment proved to be hugely successful. More than 2000 people living without rations, pensions, electricity, water after years of trying to make themselves heard, tired of failed visits to government offices finally got a chance to be heard. Implementing the Act through grievance redress camps also resulted in action being taken. Many complaints were common complaints which were strengthened by collective pressure. The largest category of beneficiaries were those who had issues in pensions. These were some of the immediate effects of the camp. Following this exercise, the Rajasthan government decided to implement the Right to Hearing Act through camps in every Panchayat in the State.
The MKSS believes that putting in place an effective structure for redress of grievances is a necessary second step from the Right to Information Act to ensure accountability of governance. Public disclosure through wall painting is one way of implementing Section 4 of the Right to Information Act. However, under the Right to Hearing Act, this is not only an act of transparency but the initial stage in a grievance redress mechanism. The Kaladeo experiment may provide a model structure for grievance redress for the rest of country.

Hoping for your support, participation and involvement,

The MKSS team

Who to contact: 
Digvijay– 08890464202, Janani – 07742467093

Press note of the Suchna Evam Rozgar Abhiyan meeting