-The Hindu Office cites ‘diversion of resources’ clause; former CIC Wajahat Habibullah terms it ‘misuse of Act’. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has denied a Right to Information request related to the PM-CARES Fund on the grounds that providing it would “disproportionately divert the resources of the office.” However, a High Court judgment and multiple orders of the Central Information Commission (CIC) have previously held that, under the RTI Act, this rationale...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Concerned citizens ask state governments to transport stranded migrants to their homes
-Press release by Stranded Workers Action Network, dated 20th May 2020 We, the undersigned organizations call upon the State governments concerned to bring out all idle transport vehicles out from garages to the State and National highways to carry the workers to their home. We also request that more interstate trains be run, and in a coordinated fashion, to ensure that workers do not remain struck in overcrowded dormitories and camps....
More »By Withholding Information on PM-CARES and the Lockdown, the PMO Has Violated the RTI Act -M. Sridhar Acharyulu
-TheWire.in Details on this fund and on the decision-making process behind the lockdown, which the PMO has decided not to disclose, should have been made public without waiting for RTI requests. The Prime Minister’s Office must have deliberately ignored the will that the parliament had expressed in the RTI Act, and the spirit of the the Rules and Office Memoranda (OM) issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) when it...
More »Law Ministry did not consult any Ministry, Department on Triple Talaq Bill -Dheeraj Mishra
-TheWire.in This falls foul of the earlier legislative consultation policy issued by the same ministry, which states that any bill should first be sent to the concerned ministry or department and their comments should be included in the cabinet note. New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Law and Justice gave its approval to the Triple Talaq Bill last year without consulting concerned ministries, departments or any state government on it, documents obtained...
More »A duty to publish: On RTI
-The Hindu Limiting RTI responses based on locus standi of the applicants could create a chilling effect The Right to Information Act’s role in fostering a more informed citizenry and an accountable government has never been in doubt ever since its implementation in 2005. But there have been persistent and growing misgivings. Section 4 of the Act calls for pro-active and voluntary dissemination of information, but only a few Central and State...
More »