-TheWire.in Jammu and Kashmir has till now been covered by the J&K RTI Act – a more powerful law than the central one in some respects. New Delhi: Following the revoking of Article 370 and ending of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the central Right to Information Act, 2005 would now apply to the two new union territories of J&K and Ladakh that will be carved out. Jammu and Kashmir has till now...
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Rs 260.62 crore national disability fund lying unused, reveals RTI
-The Indian Express The RTI reply from the Ministry also stated that the certified reports of the erstwhile fund and the old fund were available but cannot be released as they are voluminous and that they can be seen in the office. New Delhi: As much as Rs 260.62 crore under the National Fund for Persons with Disabilities is lying unused for over two years now — ever since the new...
More »The makings of a digital kleptocracy -Reetika Khera
-The Hindu When data is monetised, as the Economic Survey advocates, it becomes toxic and harms public interest Last year, I was denied information requested under the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2005. I had sought the names of agencies empanelled by the Unique Identification Authority of India for an “image makeover” and the expenditure on it. It was denied by invoking the exemption clauses of Sections 8(d) and 8(j), respectively, i.e....
More »To defend Modi govt's RTI Act changes, BJP released a 'factsheet'. It doesn't have much facts -Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri
-ThePrint.in Modi government’s proposed amendments to one of India’s most powerful laws will reduce autonomous information commissions to 'caged parrots'. India’s Right to Information Act is under attack. Surreptitiously, and without any public consultation, the Narendra Modi government introduced a bill in Parliament that aims to undermine the independence of information commissions – the final adjudicators under the RTI law. The bill was passed on 22 July by the Lok Sabha, where...
More »The tremor of unwelcome amendments to the RTI Act -Aruna Roy & Nikhil Dey
-The Hindu The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill is a twin attack on accountability and the idea of federalism “Amendments” have haunted the Right to Information (RTI) community ever since the RTI Act came into effect almost 14 years ago. Rarely has a law been so stoutly defended by activists. It is not possible to pass a perfect law. But it was a popular opinion strongly held by most RTI activists that...
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