-CIVIC Bangalore, IT for Change, KRIA Katte, SVYM The government is planning to amend the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) to keep political parties outside the purview of the RTI law. The amendments are planned in response to the recent Central Information Commission order, which held that political parties are public authorities under the RTI Act and therefore should be accountable to citizens of the country. The RTI Act is a...
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Understanding the poverty line-Mihir Shah
-The Hindu What it signifies, what it does not tell us and what it will definitely not be used for Great shrillness has marked the current furore over the Planning Commission's latest poverty estimates. No surprise, therefore, that understanding and wisdom have flowed in an inverse proportion. Surprising and sad, however, is the fact that some political leaders have at times spoken in a manner deeply hurtful to the aam aadmi and...
More »Govt. moves to keep parties outside RTI-B Muralidhar Reddy
-The Hindu Consensus among most parties that CIC has exceeded its jurisdiction The Union Cabinet has approved draft amendments to the Right To Information Act (RTI) that would nullify an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) bringing the six national political parties under the orbit of the Act. The draft amendments to the RTI are expected to be moved in the monsoon session of Parliament beginning on August 5 and voted upon...
More »Figuring out Gujarat -Bhalchandra Mungekar
-The Indian Express The Gujarat model of development is not what its champions say it is Having realised that the people of India have not exonerated him for the post-Godhra killings of Muslims in 2002 on his watch, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi systematically tried to build up his image as a "man of development"(vikas purush). The Sangh Parivar called it the "Gujarat model of development" and started propagating it. But what...
More »Why these four political parties coming under RTI won’t matter -Danish Raza
-First Post While the six biggest political parties have chosen to ignore the order to come under the Right to Information Act, a handful of regional political parties have embraced it wholeheartedly. However, that won't force the bigger parties to change their ways any time soon. On 3 June, the Central Information Commission (CIC) declared the six national political parties, Congress, BJP, CPI, CPI (M), NCP and BSP, as public authorities. However, the...
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