I investigate to what extent India’s Right to Information Act is useful for poor households. Drawing on empirical data from central Uttar Pradesh, I study two categories of poor households—urban and rural—possessing Below Poverty Line cards. These cards entitle their holders to several subsidies, but they are poorly targeted: certain communities receive more cards, while most of the deserving poor do not receive them. The Act is meant to create space for democratization, enabling the poor to challenge local power holders; but there are obstacles to their taking advantage of it. They are scarcely educated, and unaware of the Act, and they get no support from government agencies responsible for implementing it. This has encouraged the use of manipulative tactics by local representatives and government bureaucrats seeking power, control, and domination. But the poor do find ways to receive their entitlements.

中文翻译：

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穷人能从《知情权法》中受益吗？

我调查了印度的《信息权法》在多大程度上对贫困家庭有用。借鉴北方邦中部的经验数据，我研究了拥有低于贫困线卡的两类贫困家庭——城市和农村。这些卡的持有者可以享受几项补贴，但它们的目标并不明确：某些社区获得的卡更多，而大多数应得的穷人却没有获得这些卡。该法案旨在为民主化创造空间，使穷人能够挑战当地掌权者；但他们利用它存在障碍。他们几乎没有受过教育，也不知道该法案，而且他们没有得到负责实施该法案的政府机构的支持。这鼓励了地方代表和政府官僚使用操纵策略来寻求权力、控制权、和统治。但穷人确实找到了获得他们应得权利的方法。