Government introduces Bill to amend RTI Act, opposition protest

GS-II Paper: Government introduces Bill to amend RTI Act, opposition protest

Context

A bill that give the centre the power to set the salaries and service conditions of information commissioners was introduced by the government in Lok Sabha.

What is Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005?

RTI stands for Right To Information and has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 19(1) of the Constitution Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information by various Public Authorities under the government of India as well as the State Governments. The law imposes a penalty for wilful default by government officials. Citizens can ask for anything that the government can disclose to Parliament.

The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to:

Empowers the citizen.
Promote transparency and accountability in the working of the government.
Contain corruption , and make our democracy work for the people in real sense.

Achievements of Right to Information Act:

The answer keys of civil service examination and IIT-JEE are now available on the websites of the Union Public Service Commission and IIT-JEE respectively, helping students to find out their scores even before the official announcement.
Assets and wealth declaration of all public servants – PM and his entire council of ministers, civil servants — are now in the public domain.

How does Right to Information Act?

Every citizen has freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, Citizens have a right to know how the governments, meant to serve them, are functioning.
The Right to Information Act (RTI), 2015 is an Act of the Parliament of India – to provide for set out the practical regime of the right to information for citizens. ”Simply put, it allows citizens of the country to request information from any public authority about its work, actions, etc”.

Significance of Right to Information Act:

Improved citizen-government partnership
Greater transparency gives citizens the right to access information regarding rules, regulations, plans & expenditures of govt.
Greater accountability in the working of the Government.
To check corruption.
To make our democracy work for the people in real sense.

Source: Indian Express

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