rti act
- PC : mrp
The parliament has passed the amendments in Right to Information Bill, 2019 between amid opposition protest in Rajya Sabha.
The opposition-sponsored motion demanded the bill should be sent to a House committee for greater scrutiny. But the motion was negated by 117 members voting against the motion and 75 members voting in favour.
The opposition staged a walkout during the vote, accusing the government was “undermining democracy" in the House. While the Lok Sabha passed the RTI Amendment Bill, 2019 earlier on July 22, 2019, through a voice vote with 218 votes in favour and 79 against.
About the Right to Information Act, 2005:
The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 was passed by the Parliament in June 2005 and it came into force in October 2005. ) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
- The RTI Act was established to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens
- To secure access to information under the control of public authorities
- To promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority,
- To promote transparency to the constitution of a Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
About RTI Amendment Bill:
According to the RTI Amendment Bill, an amendment in the Right to Information Act, 2005 will be made to empower the central government with the right to determine the term, salaries and other terms and conditions of service of the State Information Commissioners, State Chief Information Commissioner, Information commissioners and Chief information commissioner.
Thus, the newly amended bill will provide the central government with;
- Right to employ, decide the term, allowance and conditions of service of the information officers.
Opposition protest for RTI Amendment Bill:
The Opposition, including Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress, K.K. Ragesh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Binoy Viswam of the Communist Party of India, and Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and P. Chidambaram, vociferously protested.
Azad said: "You are destroying democracy. We don't have any faith in you, so we walk out."
Senior Congress leader, Shashi Tharoor stated that the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is not an RTI amendment bill but an RTI elimination bill.
