-PTI   The RTI Act needs to be looked into if it hinders governance, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Friday said. “...What the Prime Minister has said is that in certain areas if RTI is used in a way with a purpose of hindering governance then one has to look at that. “When Prime Minister says something, we accept it as the statement of the government. So there is no need to...

-The Times of India   Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday endorsed the concerns of his ministerial colleagues over Right To Information (RTI), saying the transparency enabler should not adversely affect deliberations in the government and deter honest officials from expressing their views on file. While hailing RTI's extensive use and underlining his government's intent to strengthen the law, the PM said there was a need to strike a fine balance between the...

-The Hindu   It should not hit deliberative processes and thwart honest officials from airing views Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a ‘critical look' at the Right to Information (RTI) Act to ensure that it does not adversely affect the ‘deliberative processes' of the government and discourage honest officials from articulating their views. Addressing the 6th Annual Convention of Information Commissioners here on Friday, Dr. Singh hoped that the deliberations would also...

A draft Bill aimed at redressing complaints against junior government officials is likely to be introduced in the winter session of Parliament to check graft at the lowest level, where most citizens interact with the administration. The proposed Public Services Grievance Redressal Bill will be available to the public for comments and feedback before it’s introduced in Parliament, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said. The proposed law comes at a time when...

-DNA   The Bombay High Court has stayed an order passed by the State Information Commission (SIC) which stated that Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (R-Infra), the Anil Ambani-led company, is also covered under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. A division bench of Justice BH Marlapalle and Justice Nishita Mhatre granted an interim stay and directed the government to file a reply in eight weeks while hearing an appeal filed by R-Infra against the...