-The Times of India CHENNAI: The Centre's recent decision to disclose information related to public-private partnerships (PPP) to RTI applicants may throw a spanner in the works of several infrastructure projects. While RTI activists have hailed the move saying it would usher in greater accountability, private players are cold to the idea as they apprehend the use of RTI to create opposition to projects. Industrial sources said most private firms are not...

-The Times of India In a significant move towards transparency, the government on Tuesday said all public authorities should proactively disclose information related to public private partnerships (PPP) projects on their websites. Though the disclosure will be voluntary, this marks a shift from the Centre's stand for the last two years when it stonewalled central information commission (CIC)'s recommendation seeking disclosure of PPP projects and will herald greater transparency. Guidelines issued by the...

-The Indian Express The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed its September 2012 ruling that "only" serving and retired judges of the apex court and chief justices of state high courts can head the central and state information commissions. Passing an interim order pending its decision on the review petition filed by the Centre against the verdict, a bench led by Justice A K Patnaik stayed the direction making it mandatory for information...

-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed its seven-month-old controversial order directing governments to appoint retired SC and HC judges as heads of central information commission and State Information Commissions. In an interim order passed on a petition by the Union government seeking review of the apex court's September 13, 2012 judgment, a bench of Justices A K Patnaik and Arjan K Sikri also stayed the earlier directive to...

-The Times of India KANPUR: The Public Information Officers (PIOs) at various government departments in the city are having no knowledge of Right To Information Act (RTI), 2005 and its clauses. Majority of departments have non-law candidates serving the post of PIOs. In the absence of any proper guidance and workshops, these officials face problem in addressing the RTI queries and hence large number of them (RTIs) remain pending. These findings came...