Amidst much indignation over the need for more transparency to fight corruption, the state government has ordered to keep the Special Police Establishment (SPE) of the Lokayukta and Economic Offences Wing (EOW) out of the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005, raising suspicion over the motive behind the action. The General Administration Department issued a notification on August 25. RTI activists and civil society groups allege that the government...
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Double Dissent by Lola Nayar
NGOs differ on Jan Lokpal, pick on Team Anna’s shortcomings Conflict Amongst NGOs? * Great response to Anna seen as success of civil society * NGOs agree on wiping off corruption in government, not on solutions * They celebrate the middle class finding voice; but mourn lack of reach among villagers * Divergence in views seen as healthy for debate; onus on govt to take final call *** First the good news:...
More »PUCL voices concern over ability of bill to tackle graft
-The Times of India A day after Parliament accepted in principle the demands of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare, some voices of dissent over the movement have surfaced. Leading civil rights organization, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has raised apprehensions on the ability of the Lokpal bill to tackle corruption. In a public discussion in Jaipur on Sunday, PUCL activists including its former national head Rajendra Sachar and noted activist Binayak...
More »RTI Act almost defunct in state by Anindo Dey
Even as the state tries to provide a corruption-free government with the Lokseva Guarantee Bill, a similar venture by it earlier has fallen by the wayside. With no chief information commissioner (CIC) in the state for the past five months the much-trumpeted Right To Information (RTI) Act, which aims to bring in transparency, has almost become defunct. Incidentally, Rajasthan had taken the first steps in bringing this law in the...
More »Madhya Pradesh puts EOW, Lokayukta police out of RTI ambit by Mahim Pratap Singh
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to take the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Lokayukta’s Special Police Establishment out of the ambit of Right to Information Act. In an order passed on Thursday by the General Administration Department (GAD), the government has declared that the provisions of the RTI Act will not apply to the EOW and the Lokayukta police. Several high-profile cases of corruption involving government officials and politicians are...
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