The
Hindu: Thiruvananthapuram: Wednesday, 14 January 2015.
The country
is witnessing an “aggressive assault” on laws that are regarded as the
fundamental rights of the people, social activist Aruna Roy has said.
She was
addressing a meeting organised here on Tuesday by the National Campaign for
People’s Right to Information to take stock of the implementation of the Right
to Information Act in the State.
Landmark
legislations such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
(MGNREGS) Act, Land Acquisition Act and the Food Security Act brought in after
sustained campaign are either being diluted or put on the backburner by the
Union government, she said
Though there
are no direct signs of the RTI Act being scuttled, there are enough indications
which clearly show the intent of the BJP-led government.
A myth is
being propagated that decision making became slow, especially during the second
tenure of the United Progressive Alliance government, after the Act came into
existence, she said.
The country
is passing through a crucial period as decisions are taken arbitrarily without
holding proper consultation, Ms. Roy said.
She cited the
Centre’s move to replace the Planning Commission with NITI Aayog. There could
be political and economic compulsions for disbanding the Commission that gave
enough space for dialogue, she said.
There is a
concerted move to suppress dissenting voices, she said citing the Union Home
Ministry’s action against Greenpeace campaigner Priya Pillai.
Ms. Roy also
criticised the Centre for not enforcing the Whistleblower Protection Act.
She stressed
the need to appoint persons with “integrity, just and efficient” as State
Information Commissioners. “The post should not become another place for
showing favouritism and nepotism,” she said.
.JPG)
.JPG)
