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The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (Association for the Empowerment of Workers and Peasants) is an Indian social movement and grassroots organisation best known for its successful struggle and demand for the Right to Information Act (RTI) which grew out of the demand for minimum wages for workers. It is one of the forefront civil rights movements in India, and can cite legislation of the RTI as its major achievement. In 1987, Aruna Roy along with Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh and others founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.The MKSS began by attempting to understand root causes and reasons for the non-payment of wages to workers employed by the government on works under departments including the public works department. In the search for these reasons, the MKSS found that any information they asked for was denied to them. == Forty Day Sit-In Protest == On April 6th 1996, the MKSS announced a strike in the town of Beawar in Ajmer, Rajasthan.After a series of public hearings exposed systemic corruption across Rajasthan, and the reneging of the promise of the Right to Information given by the then Chief Minister of Rajsthan, in, the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan began a historic forty day long ''dharna'' (sit in protest) to demand the Right to Information. Protestors came from across rural Rajasthan to the city of Beawar. The novelty of this protest was the demand for information by the poor instead of expected basic needs like food and shelter. During the protest, a memorandum was given to the sub-divisional officer at Beawar that demanded local expenditure records. The protest began with support from over one hundred and fifty villages. It was supported by donations of grain from these villages and individuals in Beawar. Almost forty-six thousand rupees were donated to keep the protest going. Nearby vegetable vendors donated to the protestors providing them with food and water. Doctors offered their services. Local people joined in and walked with the rural protestors. The people of Beawar embraced the protest and began to make it their own. The protest was marked by cultural expression including song, theatre and puppetry. Local cultural groups joined in. These included a group of devotional singers (Bhajan Mandali) who would sing parodies of devotional songs in support of the demands of the protestors. Bagpipers and local poets also joined in. Local cadres of trade unions also lent their support. As the protest gained momentum, people began to visit Beawar from across the country to see the extraordinary happenings that were taking place in this small city in Rajasthan. Journalists, lawmakers, and artists, amongst many others came to the city of Beawar. Senior journalists who visited included Nikhil Chakravartty, Kuldip Nayar, and Prabhash Joshi. Prabhash Joshi wrote a historic editorial in the ''Jansatta'' newspaper entitled ''"Hum Jaanenge, Hum Jiyenge"'' (We will know, we will live). This title became a slogan of the RTI movement in India and was modified to say "the right to know is the right to live". The agitation in Beawar was one of the longest continuous protests of the RTI movement and it had a huge impact on the formation of the law and the campaign. In 1996, after the dharna ended, the National Campaign for the People's Right to Information was launched. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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