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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Is the RTI Act fulfilling its purpose? -Sonikka Loganathan

Is the RTI Act fulfilling its purpose? -Sonikka Loganathan

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published Published on Dec 16, 2022   modified Modified on Dec 16, 2022

-The Hindu

The Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed by Parliament in 2005, aiming to give people access to the records of the Central and State governments. It was a vital reform to help activists and individuals ensure transparency and accountability in governance. In a discussion moderated by Sonikka Loganathan, Anjali Bhardwaj and Saurav Das take stock of what’s working and the issues that appear to be weakening the law. Edited excerpts: 

Q / Is the RTI Act fulfilling its purpose?

A / Anjali Bhardwaj: It has been one of the most empowering legislations for people because this is the one law that puts an obligation on the government to respond to them in a time-bound manner, to get them information to hold the government accountable. The law has, in many ways, tilted the balance of power in favour of those governed. That is, I think, something that people in the country at large have understood. So when there is denial of their rights and entitlements such as their rations, pensions, medicines in hospitals or education in schools, they reach out to government departments to file an RTI application, and very often they do get information.

A / We have seen that a majority of the RTI applications are filed by people who are asking about their basic rights and entitlements. So it has fulfilled its purpose to that extent. The other thing is that to hold high offices to account, people have used the RTI law to know what is happening with taxpayers’ money. This has enabled them to expose big-ticket scams such as the Adarsh, Commonwealth Games and Vyapam scams. They’ve also been able to expose human rights violations, and then force accountability in those cases as well.

A / Saurav Das: To a certain extent, yes. The Act is still effective despite the widespread attempts to dilute its efficacy. This is because the law was born out of a sustained people’s movement. Officers still think twice before replying to an RTI query, which reflects the seriousness with which it is taken. The major impediment is the lack of awareness of this law and lack of widespread adoption. By adoption, I mean people really thinking of the law as their own creation. The day these two things are achieved, the RTI Act’s real mandate will be realised.

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The Hindu, 16 December, 2022, https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/is-the-rti-act-fulfilling-its-purpose/article66266153.ece


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