Transparency is okay, but what about accountability!   With each passing day, the most talked and obviously powerful civil right, i.e. Right to Information Act is gaining momentum in Jammu and Kashmir State and helping the citizens to get the information from the government and administration. In this process of obtaining information many RTI users have been able to unearth major scams in the state. Now, the officers, the Public Information Officers...

-Greater Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement has started a membership drive across the State for awareness and sensitization of public about matters related to governance, corruption and other allied issues by making rigorous use of the Right to Information Act (RTI).   The Convener of J&K RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat in a statement said the group plans to register 30,000 members across the State this year.  “The aim of this membership...

-Express News Service RTI activists across the state have called for a protest at the Dharna Chowk here on Saturday against the appointment of eight information commissioners to the AP Information Commission. Terming the appointment a farce, B Ramakrishna Raju, convenor of the United Forum for RTI Campaign, said that the forum members had met the governor on Thursday and presented the many flaws in the appointments during a 45minute meeting....

On February 2, even as Sonia Gandhi was speaking out against corruption in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, a 65-year-old RTI applicant from Bikaner in Rajasthan was brutally attacked after he tried to expose corruption in the MNREGA work. The ex-Sarpanch was allegedly beaten up by supporters of the current Sarpanch. Dudhram had complained to the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) about the allocation of Rs 4 crore for clearing...

In the expansive corridors of the ministry of external affairs, there's an interesting 'section' that few citizens are aware of. It's the gift chest of the Indian government or the 'toshakhana', where ministers, bureaucrats and dignitaries are supposed to deposit all the gifts they receive on their trips abroad.  The toshakhana stores some amazing presents, from jewellery, silverware and paintings to wine and even couture (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was, strangely...