We, the citizens of India, are the masters of this country. The governments exist to serve us.

We all pay taxes. Even a beggar on the street pays tax. When he buys anything like a soap or a matchbox, he pays taxes in the form of sales tax, excise duty etc. This money belongs to us.

But the governments are squandering our hard earned money. Thousands of crores of rupees are being spent on anti-poverty programs. Why are there still so many poor in our country? Why are the roads in such pathetic conditions? Why are the streets so dirty? Why are there no medicines in the hospitals? Where have all the teachers in the government schools gone?

The primary duty of a master is to take accounts from his servant from time to time. We, the masters, never took accounts from the governments. Because, within the existing legal and administrative frameworks, it was not possible to do so.

But, now we have a right to question governments. The governments are legally bound to provide us information. A number of state governments have passed Right to Information Laws, which empower the citizens to question governments, inspect their files, take copies of government documents and also to inspect government works.