Right To Information Fellowship

The Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India, is the nodal Ministry for the Right to Information Act. The primary goal of the Right to Information Fellowship scheme is to contribute towards more accountable and transparent government and it has several components including programmes for awareness generation, training and e-governance initiatives for RTI for achieving the purpose. Under this scheme, DOPT proposes to offer 4(Four) short-term fellowships to researchers from the field of media / Civil Society professionals / RTI Trainers to conduct field-based research on themes relating to RTI. It is hoped that the research output will enhance the understanding of the status of the implementation of the act, including its successes, constraints in its implementation and how those are being / could be overcome and what more needs to be done to help achieve the objectives of the Act.

Benefits

StipendA stipend of ? 50,000/- per month for three months.

(subject to tax deduction at source)

Additional Grant

? 50,000/- for books, research material, travel, printing, production of creatives etc., sanctioned on the basis of the research proposal and released on production of actual bills.

Eligibility

1. The applicant should be a professional in the field of journalism (newspaper/ magazine/ radio/ TV), Civil Society and research and training in the field of RTI.
2. The applicant should be between 25 and 40 years of age.
3. The applicant should have proven credentials in his / her professional area.
4. The applicant should have some prior experience of work relating to the Right to Information.
5. The applicant should have an aptitude for research.

Application Process

Offline

Five sets of the application with enclosures in the prescribed proforma may be sent by post to:

Under Secretary (IR), Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi - 110 001

Documents Required

1. A comprehensive proposal (not more than 6-8 A4 size pages) outlining the subject to be researched, the research plan and final deliverable.
2. Curriculum vitae (no more than 3 A4 sheets) along with a photograph.
3. A brief statement of work done in the field of RTI.
4. Two references from professionals familiar with the applicant’s work from his /her professional field.
5. A no-objection from the present employer.
6. Passport Sized Photograph.
?

NOTE: The proposal should clearly indicate the output that will be delivered at the end of the fellowship. It could be in the nature of a monograph of 10,000 words which is ready for publication, or features/news stories /investigative stories that could be printed / published as a journalistic piece in national /international media or, in the case of professionals from the field of audio-video media, it could even be short video films or stories.