>GreenC bot at 01:30, 9 August 2021

2021-08-09T01:30:52Z

New page

{{Use Indian English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Harikumar Pallathadka
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = 21 May
| birth_place = [[Kasaragod]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
| nationality = Indian
| occupation =
| networth =
| alma_mater =
| parents =
| family =
| spouse =
| children =
| relations = Dr. [[Pallathadka Keshava Bhat]] (Paternal Uncle)
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Harikumar Pallathadka''' (Harikumar P in short) is a prominent Indian [[Right to Information Act, 2005|Right to Information]] (RTI) (known as FOI in the west) and [[Activism|Social Activist]].

==History==
He holds an [[MBA]].<ref name="ht21052007">{{cite news |title=This man keeps digging out official information |first=Frederick |last=Noronha |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=21 May 2007 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/This-man-keeps-digging-out-official-information/Article1-224057.aspx |accessdate=2 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930050007/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/This-man-keeps-digging-out-official-information/Article1-224057.aspx |archivedate=30 September 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|title=This man keeps digging out official information.|url=|publisher=Hindustan Times (New Delhi, India) |date=21 May 2007}}</ref>

He is a National General Secretary of [[India Against Corruption]] from September 2013.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

==Activism==

His series of RTI applications on Indian Income Tax system have highlighted the fact that barely 3% of Indians pay income taxes as of 2006.<ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/India-has-only-31-5-million-taxpayers/Article1-239272.aspxIndia has only 31.5 million taxpayers - Hindustan Times]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>[http://www.punjabkesari.com/frmNewsDetails.aspx?uid=56568 Punjab Kesari NewsDetails]</ref> This issue has widely been discussed in the media and forums.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

His RTI applications on security of [[Indian voting machines|Electronic Voting Machines]] led to the [[Election Commission of India]] to divulge details regarding the EVM's and to publicly release the copy of the expert Committee report on security of EVM's headed by Prof. PV Indiresan.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140105035226/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/How-secure-is-the-EVM-Poll-panel-answers/Article1-226839.aspx How secure is the EVM?Poll panel answers - Hindustan Times]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=How secure is the EVM? Poll panel has the answer.|publisher=Hindustan Times (New Delhi, India) |date=1 June 2007}}</ref>

In January 2008, the Government of India was forced to update and properly maintain the official website of the RTI following the order of the [[Central Information Commission|CIC]] acting upon the complaint of Harikumar. The CIC has also commended the efforts of Harikumar in its order and asked the department to implement and to introduce various public friendly initiatives for the effective implementations of the [[Right to Information Act, 2005|RTI Act, 2005]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/Decision_17012008_06.pdf |title=Central Information Commission |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228005540/http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/Decision_17012008_06.pdf |archive-date=28 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He raised the matter of frequent accidents of [[Sea Harrier]] fighter jets with the [[Indian Navy]] through media.<ref>[http://www.livemint.com/2007/11/26013747/The-Indian-Navy8217s-deadly.html The Indian Navy’s deadly aircraft - Home - livemint.com]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20130125091701/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/Half-of-Sea-Harrier-fleet-gone-in-20-years/Article1-259747.aspx Half of Sea Harrier fleet gone in 20 years -Hindustan Times]</ref> After that even the media has continued raising the questions of safety of security of older Sea Harrier fighter jets with the Indian Navy. Finally in August 2009, after another crash, The Indian Navy has grounded the entire Sea Harrier fighter jet fleet for probe.<ref>[http://www.livemint.com/2009/08/25222315/Navy-grounds-Sea-Harrier-fleet.html Navy grounds Sea Harrier fleet after crash off Goa - Economy and Politics -livemint.com]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HOVER AND OUT ; Over half of the Navy's fleet of Sea Harriers has crashed leaving a void in its air defence capability. With the aircraft going out of production there is little scope of future procurement also.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15048682.html#|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611011522/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15048682.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2014|publisher=india Today {{Subscription required|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}|accessdate=3 September 2012|date=7 January 2008}}</ref>

His RTI applications on internal border disputes within India led to the Government of India revealing in 2006 that there were nearly a dozen of unsolved and pending disputes of that type.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130324221805/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/India-alone-has-a-dozen-border-disputes/Article1-223001.aspx India alone has a dozen border disputes! - Hindustan Times]</ref>

His series of RTI applications on Indian [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] has shed light on inconsistencies of official figures between various departments of Government of India, and this has led to various measures being taken by the Government of India in the matter of Indian [[Prisoner of war|Prisoners of War]].<ref name="ht21052007" /><ref name=autogenerated10>{{Cite web |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=625418 |title=RTI reply reveals no consistency in govt's figures on PoWs {{!}} news.outlookindia.com |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228055014/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=625418 |archive-date=28 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/19233250/India-doesn8217t-know-how-m.html India doesn’t know how many PoWs are in Pakistan prisons - Economy and Politics - livemint.com]</ref>

After an RTI concerning pesticides, 25 pesticides were banned for manufacture, import and use in India which involved a health hazard to human beings, animals and damage to the environment, and others faced partial curbs by the Government of India.<ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/mobile/report.php?n=1101025 25 pesticides banned in India, others face partial curbs - dnaindia.com/mobile]</ref>

He has also attempted to highlight the problem faced by students due to the existence of more than "200 fake educational institutions" that prey on students in [[India]]. He has tried to shed light on various socially relevant subjects including Indians believed to be detained in Pakistani jails.<ref name="ht21052007" /><ref name=autogenerated1 />
He has fought many cases against several private universities across various Indian States for the implementation of RTI and public disclosure in the private universities, including the states of Punjab,{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} Nagaland,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://nlsic.gov.in/appeals%20%26%20complaints2006-11/dc12-27aug.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001359/http://nlsic.gov.in/appeals%20%26%20complaints2006-11/dc12-27aug.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Meghalaya.<ref>http://megsic.gov.in/2008/Complaint-19-2008.pdf</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pallathadka, Harikumar}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian human rights activists]]
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:Activists from Kerala]]
[[Category:People from Kasaragod district]]
[[Category:Right to Information activists]]

Harikumar Pallathadka - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 01:30, 9 August 2021