RTI-A PUPPET

DEFINITION
• Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely
response to citizen requests for government
information.
• It is an initiative taken by Department of Personnel
and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions to provide a– RTI Portal
Gateway to the citizens for quick search of
information on the details of first Appellate
Authorities,PIOs etc.
 OBJECTIVES
• To set out a practical regime of right to information
to citizens.
• To secure access to information under the control of
public authorities.
• To promote transparency and accountability the
working of every public authority.
 Modi government succeeded in
making RTI a puppet show
• Information Commissioner or ‘Caged Parrot’
• The first “fact” states that the amendments will
not impact the autonomy of the information
commissions. This was also a claim made by
Department of Personnel and Training minister of
state Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha on the grounds
that no amendments have been proposed in
Section 12(4) of the RTI law, which deals with the
independence of information commissions.
 Cont…
Vague statements by Government
• Another “fact” being circulated is that the government
is bringing the amendments to correct an anomaly in
the RTI law – namely, “Information Commissioners
being treated on par with functionaries of the Election
Commission, even though the latter is a constitutional
body while Information Commissions are statutory
bodies“.
• This contention is inherently flawed. There is nothing in
the Constitution or any law that prohibits this practice.