Aruna Roy

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Aruna Roy is an Indian political and social activist. Born in Chennai, she served as an officer in the Indian Administrative Service from 1968-1975. She is best-known for her campaigns to better the lives of the rural poor in Rajasthan (in northwestern India). Her long campaigns were instrumental in the passing of the Indian Right to Information Act in 2005.

She resigned from the Indian central government ("IAS") in order to devote her time to campaigns, social work and social reform. She joined the Social Work and Research Center in Tilonia, Rajasthan, which had been set up by her husband, Sanjit. Aruna Roy worked at the SWRC until 1983, then moved to Devdoongri, a village in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan in 1987 along with Shanker Singh and Nikhil Dey.

The three helped set up the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (Workers'-Farmers' Unity Union) in 1990, which they described as a "non-party [sic] people's organisation". The MKSS is a peasant and workers organisation which has built a grassroots movement, triggering broad debate and a nationwide demand for the public's right to scrutinize official records. They succeeded in first getting the Rajasthani Right to Information Act passed in 2000. She served as a member of the National Advisory Council of India for two years, where she helped advocate passage of the National Right to Information Act (2005) and the Indian National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005).

In 2000, Aruna Roy was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership. Roy requested that the award be given to the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana, but was informed that it was only given to individuals. While accepting the award she urged the foundation to change its policy[citation needed], and now the award is open to organisations also. She put the award money into a trust to support the process of democratic struggles.

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