The social activist threatened on Saturday to return his Padma Bhushan in protest against the functioning of CAPART.
Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday threatened to return his Padma Bhushan in protest against the functioning of CAPART and to launch a nationwide agitation if the government made changes to the Right to Information Act.
AHMEDNAGAR: Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday threatened to return his Padma Bhushan in protest against the functioning of CAPART and to launch a nationwide agitation if the government made changes to the Right to Information Act.
He threatened to return the award on Kranti Din (August 9) but said he would take a final decision after visiting Delhi to meet senior leaders there.
Before leaving for Delhi, Hazare said at Ralegaon Siddhi village, 39 km from Ahmednagar, that he had written a letter about a fortnight ago to Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, criticising the working of the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology.
He said the body's officials were not acting on proposals from NGOs for the development of rural areas. "Some top officials and bureaucrats have decided not to cooperate to the potential of CAPART only because of their unethical work culture," he said.
He also criticised the government's decision to amend the RTI act, saying he was "upset and disappointed" by the move.
"The Central government will damage the soul of the Right to Information act if the proposal to change it gets the sanction," the anti-corruption crusader said.
If the government went ahead with the proposed changes, Hazare said he would launch a nation-wide protest with like-minded NGOs and civil society groups.
During his visit to Delhi, he will try to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Hazare said.
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