From 1,865 in 2006, the backlog of applications at the Central Information Commission has swelled to above 22,700. Activists say the RTI Act will lose its bite in a few years if the present state of affairs continues. In September 2006, an RTI applicant sought a simple list of schemes approved under the Urban Land Ceiling Act. The government department concerned demanded Rs 16 lakh from him. He appealed against...
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Info chiefs push for citizens' charter to save sunshine law
-The Times of India The query filed under the Right To Information Act (RTI) in August was quite clear but even after four months, there seems to be no hope of getting a reply to it. And even information commissioners are aware of the hurdles the applicants have to face. The applicant wanted to know if there was any Airports Authority of India (AAI) rule that prohibited an employee from discussing with...
More »Intel bodies can’t snub graft RTI
-The Pioneer The Central Information Commission has ordered that intelligence agencies like National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) cannot withhold information under the RTI Act on corruption-related matters and related in-house investigation details. The landmark decision is a serious blow to intelligence and security agencies, which often reject applications under RTI on corruption- related issues. In this case, CIC has directed NTRO to provide information on the in-house probe details on irregularities and corrupt...
More »Whistle-blowers Bill passed in the Lok Sabha
-PTI A Bill which seeks to provide for setting up a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants, including ministers was passed by the Lok Sabha tonight. The Whistle-blowers' Protection Bill, 2011 also seeks to provide "adequate protection to persons reporting corruption or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence...
More »Aruna Roy finds holes in grievance bill
-The Times of India Aruna Roy-led National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) has supported the grievance redressal bill with some reservations. In a statement,NCPRI said there were "significant lacuna'' in the bill including the fact that provisions for compensation and penalties had not been specified and the designated authority with the powers of a civil court had not been made sufficiently independent of the government. NCPRI also expressed concern that...
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