ANANTAPUR: At an age when most retired government employees prefer to spend their time with family or reconnecting with old friends, 75-year-old A Honnurappa has chosen a different path. Using his pension money, he has dedicated himself to spreading awareness about the Right to Information (RTI) Act, among youth, women, students, employees, and the unemployed.
Despite age-related health challenges, he continues to travel, speak, and train, embodying the spirit of a young activist in the service of democracy.
Honnurappa is the founder-president of the RTI Protection Association. For over a decade, he has been conducting awareness programmes without expecting anything in return. His conviction is simple yet profound -- in a democracy, people are the true rulers.
He often recalls Mahatma Gandhi’s words that ‘real freedom will come when citizens gain the capacity to resist authority when abused.’ He urges everyone to use the RTI Act widely, describing it as the most powerful law after the Constitution of India. He also cites BR Ambedkar’s reminder that ‘those without the spirit to question are no better than slaves,’ encouraging citizens to demand accountability from institutions.
Born into a poor family, Honnurappa completed his SSLC in 1968 and joined the Medical and Health Department as a Special Cholera Worker. He retired in 2011 as a Community Health Officer. During his career, he earned merit awards and recognition from district authorities. After retirement, he underwent multiple training programmes on the RTI Act, including sessions at Nalgonda and the Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource Development Institute. In 2019, he established the RTI Protection Association, having worked with organisations like RTI Campaign Forum and OPDR.
In Anantapur, he conducted programmes in 138 colleges and 34 offices, distributing 8,000 RTI handbooks and 23,000 pamphlets on court judgments.
Honnurappa emphasises landmark rulings that strengthen transparency. He cites government orders mandating that every office publish 17 categories of information annually under Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, and rulings requiring hospitals to provide patients with case sheets daily. “Even as an educated employee, I faced difficulties when fighting for workers’ rights. If I struggled, how should ordinary citizens endure?” he asks. This realisation drove him to dedicate his retirement life to empowering people through the RTI Act. He believes transparency & accountability in governance can be achieved when citizens demand information.
For Honnurappa, the RTI Act is not just a law but a tool to awaken democratic consciousness. His relentless efforts over the past decade stand as a reminder that true citizenship lies in questioning, demanding, and participating. At 75, he continues to inspire thousands, proving that activism knows no age and that democracy thrives only when citizens remain vigilant.