-The Hindu No transparency in appointment process, says petitioner. New Delhi: The Centre has denied a Right to Information Request for a copy of the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2018, which had been notified for introduction in the monsoon session of Parliament. The Bill sought to give the Centre power to set the tenure and salaries of State and Central Information Commissioners. Critics worry this could threaten the independence of Commissioners. An...

-Press release by People's Budget Initiative (PBI, http://www.pbiindia.net/) New Delhi: People's Budget Initiative (PBI) is a coalition of civil society organisations from across the country which promotes people’s voice in policy making processes related to government budgets in India. As part of its campaign on ‘Budget Justice for Disadvantaged Sections’, a national consultation on Budget Justice: Agenda for the Next Five Years was organized in New Delhi on 14th September, 2018....

-Newsclick.in “According to media reports, the proposed amendments seek to fundamentally weaken the institution of the information commissions by allowing the central and state governments to decide salaries of commissioners,” says NCPRI Press Release. Among the bills listed under the ‘Legislative Business’ to be carried out during the monsoon session of Lok Sabha,which will be held from July 18 to August 10, is ‘The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2018’. Although included...

-The Hindu Where the citizen-government gap is bridged by using the RTI Act for administrative reforms April 18, 2014 is a day the shepherds around Budgam town near Srinagar will not forget. This was the day when Tosa Maidan — a vast pasture that shepherds from seven districts traditionally grazed their livestock in — was reclaimed from the Indian Army. Leased out to the Army in 1964, Tosa Maidan or ‘the king of...

-The Hindu Of the 18,518 cases registered as appeals, 13,796 were returned to appellants There are a whopping 24,302 cases related to information appeals pending with the Central Information Commission as on Thursday, according to the CIC website. This backlog is in spite of the fact that the Commission is returning a majority of appeals coming to it, citing lack of documentation, premature appeals or forwarding of cases to the relevant State...