-Economic and Political Weekly   After almost more than eight years of the Right to Information Act being in force, the process of accessing information still faces impediments. The flow of information is restricted either due to various public institutions not coming within the ambit of the Act or the information being exempt under various clauses of the Act. This article examines select judgments/orders of the Central Information Commission and the superior...

-Outlook   The UPA-II government spent nearly Rs 187 crore to publicise schemes under the 'Bharat Nirman' programme in the election year 2013-14. According to an RTI response by the Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity, the Manmohan Singh-led government spent Rs 186.98 crore in the election year 2013-14. Giving details of Bharat Nirman campaign of UPA-2, DAVP said in 2013-14, the election year, Rs 186.98 crore were spent whereas in 2012-13, the figure...

The NCPRI’s endeavour is to deepen democracy and achieve Constitutional principles through the use of the RTI. The NCPRI engages and interacts with the State to implement the law and to ensure that the Act is not amended or provisions weakened. The Campaign has to ensure that the law is effective and universally accessible, addressing both individual and social problems. NCPRI believes that the right to know is symbiotically linked...

It is a citizens’ group working to promote transparency and accountability in government functioning and to encourage active participation of citizens in governance in India. SNS is an independent non-governmental organization and is not affiliated to, or supported by, any political party. It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 as Society for Citizens’ Vigilance Initiative. SNS has pioneered the effort of using the RTI Act for political accountability...

-PTI     Former IB chief Rajiv Mathur on Thursday took over as the new Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission. He was administered the oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mathur, 64, succeeds Sushma Singh, who demitted office on Wednesday, as the sixth chief of the transparency watchdog. His name was recommended by a three-member selection panel headed by outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.   "My priority would...