Aruna Roy
Activist behind India’s Right to Information movement
- Age
- 80 yrs
- Birthday in 203 days
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2000
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Aruna Roy is a social activist who left the Indian Administrative Service to work with rural people in Rajasthan. Through the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan she led the campaign that resulted in India’s Right to Information Act of 2005.
Biography
Civil servant
Aruna Roy joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1968 but resigned in 1975, feeling she could achieve more working directly with people. She joined the Social Work and Research Centre in Tilonia, Rajasthan.
MKSS
In 1990 she co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (Union for the Empowerment of Workers and Peasants) in Rajasthan. Its public hearings, where officials’ records of wages and public works were read aloud in villages, exposed corruption.
Right to Information
The movement’s slogan — “our money, our accounts” — grew into a national campaign. Rajasthan passed a state law in 2000, and Parliament passed the Right to Information Act in 2005.
Wider work
Roy was a member of the National Advisory Council, contributed to the rural employment guarantee scheme, and received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2000.
Timeline
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1946
Born in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu
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1968
Joins the IAS
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1975
Resigns to work in rural Rajasthan
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1990
Co-founds MKSS
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2000
Ramon Magsaysay Award
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2005
Right to Information Act passed
Awards and honours
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Ramon Magsaysay Award
2000
Did you know?
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1
She resigned from the IAS to work in villages.
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2
Her movement used village public hearings to expose corruption.
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3
Its slogan was “our money, our accounts”.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Aruna Roy?
Aruna Roy is a social activist who left the Indian Administrative Service to work with rural people in Rajasthan. Through the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan she led the campaign that resulted in India’s Right to Information Act of 2005.
How old is Aruna Roy?
Aruna Roy is 80 years old, born on 26 May 1946 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu.
Where is Aruna Roy from?
Aruna Roy was born in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu.
What is Aruna Roy known for?
Aruna Roy is best known for Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan; the Right to Information Act; rural employment guarantee.
What awards has Aruna Roy received?
Notable honours include Ramon Magsaysay Award (2000).
References
- Aruna Roy — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- Aruna Roy — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- Aruna Roy — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- Aruna Roy (Q3521157) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Aruna Roy”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 2 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Aruna Roy.” TrackFame, last updated 3 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/aruna-roy
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