-The Hindu The Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed by Parliament in 2005, aiming to give people access to the records of the Central and State governments. It was a vital reform to help activists and individuals ensure transparency and accountability in governance. In a discussion moderated by Sonikka Loganathan, Anjali Bhardwaj and Saurav Das take stock of what’s working and the issues that appear to be weakening the law....
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The fate of SC/ST funds is a secret even to the sarkar! -Venkatesh Nayak
-Deccan Herald Despite such systems, generation after generation, these deprived communities pay the price for the progress of other segments of society It’s happened again. Nearly Rs 8,000 crore, earmarked by law for the development of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in Karnataka, have been diverted for general infrastructure development since 2018. In Delhi, citizens’ RTI interventions exposed the government’s decision to deploy such funds to build stadiums for the 2010...
More »CAGed? Top audit body's reports on Centre's money management down by 75 percent
-The New Indian Express The total number of CAG reports relating to central government ministries and departments came down from 55 in 2015 to just 14 in 2020, a fall of nearly 75%. NEW DELHI: The number of reports brought out by the country’s top audit body, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, has come down sharply in the past five years, raising concerns that the government’s financial accountability is not...
More »Hamstringing the RTI Act -Sharat Sabharwal
-The Hindu Instead of holding a public debate on making the Act more effective, the government is seeking to dilute its provisions The Right to Information (RTI) Act, operationalised in October 2005, was seen as a powerful tool for citizen empowerment. It showed an early promise by exposing wrongdoings at high places, such as in the organisation of the Commonwealth games, and the allocation of 2G spectrum and coal blocks. However, it...
More »Is the RTI law in danger of losing its might? -Poulomi Banerjee
-Hindustan Times The RTI Act of 2005 made the government more accountable. But a new set of proposed rules may weaken the law and make it difficult and risky for people to access information In 2015, activist Lokesh Batra filed a Right To Information (RTI) application with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) seeking details about the appointment of the next Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). But the DoPT refused to...
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