The Centre plans to manacle the RTI Act When the UPA passed the landmark Right to Information Act in 2005, it was meant to empower citizens. The law promised transparency, accountability, and the end of corruption in governance. But in under five years, the government is planning to push through amendments that will dilute the law. Ironically, the amendments are being pushed through in a totally opaque manner. There has been...

Government seems disrespectful in treating October meeting as a non-event: Shailesh Gandhi  At meeting, majority of 60-odd Commissioners vetoed amendments proposed by DoPT Meeting concluded on understanding that DoPT would forward minutes to the Commissioners The minutes of the stormy October 14, 2009 meeting between Central and State Information Commissioners and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on the controversial issue of amendments to the Right To Information Act, 2005 are...

SEZ have been hurt by the global downturn and contraction in demand for domestic goods and services The commerce ministry has proposed measures to make it easier for developers to exit special economic zones (SEZs) that have been struggling with a contraction in global demand for goods produced at the tax-free enclaves. Specific provisions for the denotification of SEZs have been been put up for public comments till Thursday, after which they...

Ironically, the Right to Information (RTI) Act is being used to unseat Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Wajahat Habibullah himself.    Using documents got using the Act, Mumbai-based RTI activist Girish Mittal on Monday served a legal notice on the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Personnel & Grievances (DoPT) saying that Habibullah, whose resignation is still hanging fire, is being accorded preferential treatment and that he should be relieved...

BEFORE ANY debate starts, we must remind ourselves that India has a tendency of corruption. India, though a democracy, has a history of reported corruption cases. While the Chief Justice of India, KG Balakrishnan, has demanded that PM Manmohan Singh amend the RTI Act to ‘protect’ the judiciary from ‘intrusive’ queries, what needs to be kept in mind is that the proposed amendments will totally defeat the purpose of an...