-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre has decided to involve rti activists in formal discussions on the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2013. A standing committee has, for the first time, asked activists lobbying to bring political parties within the purview of the transparency law to attend its November 6 meeting. rti activist Subhash Agarwal, the National Campaign for People's Right to information and others have been asked to present their opinion to...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: Jails may not be meant for comfortable stay, but prisons in UP could well put a can of sardines to shame. There are 81,027 prisoners lodged in UP jails against the actual total capacity of 48,298 prisoners that these jails are meant to accommodate. What makes these overcrowded jails a case fit for human rights violation is the fact that more than half of the prisoners in...

India's landmark Right to Information Legislation is called the biggest single step since independence to build transparency in governance. However, its remarkable success is owed only to just 0.3 per cent of Indians who file rti applications. It's anybody's guess as to what would be the impact if even one or two per cent of Indians began to ask tough questions to hold their rulers accountable. It is noteworthy that...

-The Indian Express Those who want parties under rti have not specified whether this advances transparency or electoral reform. It is time for a more nuanced debate. The tussle around the proposed rti amendments to nullify the CIC order bringing the six national parties under the rti Act is notable for many reasons: first, the amendments were sent to the standing committee for deliberation despite near political unanimity. This is significant, since...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Over half the kids described by the government as "children with special needs" or CWSN are not in school. In response to an rti filed by lawyer-activist Khagesh Jha, of the 20,759 CWSN identified across the dozen school districts, 11,463 are out-of-school. Northeast district is the worst-performing in this regard, with 1,820 CWSN out of school, followed by the south district with 1,543 children. But...