Aruna
Roy left her job as a civil servant in Delhi to work with her husband, Bunker
Roy, at the Social Work and Research Center in Tilonia, Rajasthan to help
poor villagers by advocating for their right to a minimum wage and employment.
She discovered that many problems in depressed areas were due to corruption and
ineffective local officials. Funds given by the government never reached the people
they were supposed to help. She helped to organize the Right to Information movement
as a way to expose corruption and force a greater accountability from local and
national officials. The movement grew all across India - 10 states passed Right
to Information laws, allowing all citizens to have access to a wide range of government
records. Aruna Roy was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 as part of
the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize project.
