-The Times of India With over 16 activists killed and thousands under attack or threatened, RTI activists have demanded a stronger whistleblower law, including provisions for accountability and compensation for victims. The Whistleblowers Protection Bill is likely to come up in Parliament in the budget session starting next week. But activists feel that the Bill in its present form is not strong enough to prevent deaths. National Campaign for People's Right to...

-The Times of India In a significant move towards transparency, the government on Tuesday said all public authorities should proactively disclose information related to public private partnerships (PPP) projects on their websites. Though the disclosure will be voluntary, this marks a shift from the Centre's stand for the last two years when it stonewalled Central Information Commission (CIC)'s recommendation seeking disclosure of PPP projects and will herald greater transparency. Guidelines issued by the...

-The Times of India NAGPUR: After voting rights if there has been any other weapon which has empowered an Indian citizen it is the Right to Information (RTI). RTI is used to seek information about matters which affect the aamadami. How much of information is being handed out is still a contentious issue, but the act has definitely created a battalion of social activists. An RTI activist is not exactly the harried...

-PTI In a step towards greater transparency, the government has started a unique facility of submitting RTI applications and fees online. The portal--www.rtionline.gov.in-- has been created with an aim to help people exercise their right to seek information through online medium, said officials in Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which acts as nodal department for the implementation of transparency law in the country. An information seeker can submit a fee of Rs...

-The Indian Express On January 12 last year, RTI applicant Dinesh Suryavanshi had sought information related to class XI admissions under Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. Even after two appeals and a showcause notice issued to education department officials, he is still waiting for a response from them. "I wanted to know about the total number of seats reserved for SC, ST candidates, the stipulated seats in management courses and the...