The passage of the RTI Act in 2005 was a watershed moment in post-independence India's political history. The Right to Information – practically and conceptually – is a powerful tool that can be leveraged by civil society to push for greater transparency and accountability on part of both the polity and the bureaucracy. The Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 bestowed upon the citizens of India, for the first time, the right to know, question and challenge the government on any topic, save for security-sensitive matters. In addition, government agencies are compelled under the RTI Act to proactively disclose a wide variety of information, including staff salaries, budgets, and explanations for major decisions. This proactive disclosure is known as suo moto disclosure. As such, the utility of the Right to Information to dramatically make the government more accountable is unquestionable. Nevertheless, not only are many Indians unaware of this right, but there exists little information as to how well this critical piece of legislation has been implemented in practice.

Further, the government itself can utilize RTI to facilitate inter and intra agency communication. However, while RTI is unquestionably a powerful and necessary fundamental right to be afforded to the citizens of India, we believe, in practice, the potential of the Right to Information has yet to be realized. India's youth can help this nation realize the power of RTI.