ISSN (Online): 2455-3662 EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) - Peer Reviewed Journal Volume: 7 | Issue: 4 | April 2021|| Journal DOI: 10.36713/epra2013 || SJIF Impact Factor 2021: 8.047 || ISI Value: 1.188 2021 EPRA IJMR | www.eprajournals.com | Journal DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra2013 256 RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2005 (INDIA): A TOOL FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN INDIAN SOCIETY Mohd Aqib Aslam PH. D Research Scholar Department of Law University of Jammu. Jammu city Jammu and Kashmir (UT) India ABSTRACT In today’s era, the new source of power is not money in the hands of few but information in the hands of many. In a democratic society, information is like oxygen which helps in the survival and smooth functioning of democracy. Information is the key to knowing which gives shape to thoughts and without thoughts, there is no expression. The struggle to get information led to the formation of the Right to Information Act, 2005 in India (RTI Act). This act was the first of its kind which came into existence not because of the government but because of the demands of the people. This paper assesses the journey of the RTI Act in bringing social changes in Indian society and how the RTI Act is harnessed as a tool for promoting participatory development, strengthening democratic government, and facilitating effective delivery of social-economic services. The paper further analyses the advancement of the RTI Act in the past years and how it has proven itself to be beneficial for the people of our country. KEYWORDS: Social Change, Impact, Right to Information, Social Development. INTRODUCTION Information is the key to knowing which gives shape to thoughts and expression. Article 19 of the Indian Constitution has provided us with the right to freedom of speech and expression 1 . This fundamental right also inculcates it in itself right to know. It started in 2004 when a small town in Rajasthan named Bewaar where the workers of MKSS started a mass movement on their right to know. Finally, the RTI act was passed in 2005. 2 RTI is also a part of a person’s fundamental right to life (article 21). RTI is a right of a person to demand information from a government and getting it promptly and there is no requirement to give reasons for getting information as it is a person’s fundamental right. Right to Information is the right of all citizens regardless of their age, sex, economic status and it is not important that the information directly affects a person’s private affair. This right to get information is very important for an individual in India as our 1 Narender Kumar, Constitutional Law of India 227 (Allahabad Law Agency, Faridabad, 8 th edn., 2011) 2 Dheera Khandelwal and Krishna K. Khandelwal, A Commentary and Digest on the Right to Information Act, 2005 67 (The Bright Law House, New Delhi, 1 st edn., 2007). country has a democratic government that belongs to the people and therefore the information which is shared by the government should also be known to the people regarding what government does and also to make them answerable to people for their actions, eventually reducing corruption. 3 Democracy should not be only considered a form of government where the participation of people is nearly restricted to the periodical exercise of the right to franchise. It should also involve people’s participation in its functioning and accountability. The RTI act has crossed a journey of a decade and it has helped significantly to promote transparency and accountability of public authority and has set up a practical regime for giving citizens access to information that is under the public authority which was the very objective of the RTI act. 4 The statute of RTI has given people enormous rights to know about whatever is happening in the government. It has not only given a 3 P. K. Saini and R. K. Gupta, Right to Information Act, 2005: Implementation and Challenges (Deep and Deep Publication, 1 st edn., 2018). 4 J. P. Mittal, India’s Fight Against Corruption (Atlantic Publishers and distributors Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1 st edn., 2017).