The US State Department recognized that Bhardwaj has been an active member of the Right to Information Movement in India for over twenty years.
Indian social activist Anjali Bhardwaj is one of the 12 “courageous” individuals named by US President Joe Biden’s administration for the newly-instituted International Anti-Corruption Champions Award. The US State Department recognized that Bhardwaj has been an active member of the Right to Information Movement in India for over two decades.
While announcing the awards on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “The Biden administration recognizes that we will be successful in combating these issues only by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals who champion anti-corruption efforts and countries working to fulfill their commitments to international anti-corruption standards.” Blinken stated that the reason behind the announcement of the award is to recognize individuals who relentlessly work “to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries” even while facing adversities.
While responding to the award announcement, Bhardwaj tweeted: “This is a recognition of the collective effort of people and groups across the country who hold power to account.”
Bhardwaj founded the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citizens’ group focused on improving transparency and accountability within the government and fostering the active participation of citizens. She is also a convener of the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI). NCPRI advocates for an anti-corruption ombudsman and the Whistle Blower Protection Act, which will provide security to people who expose corruption and abuse of power.
Ardian Dvorani (Albania), Diana Salazar (Ecuador), Sophia Pretrick (Micronesia), Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro (Guatemala), Ibrahima Kalil Gueye (Guinea), Dhuha A Mohammed (Iraq), Bolot Temirov (Kyrgyz Republic), Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla (Libya), Victor Sotto (The Philippines), Francis Ben Kaifala (Sierra Leone), and Ruslan Ryaboshapka (Ukraine) are the other awardees.
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