RALLY AGAINST RTI AMENDMENT TODAY

Daily Pioneer: Bhubaneswar: Monday, July 30, 2018.

Many civil society organisations, people's movements, citizen groups, resident welfare associations, social activists and RTI activists under the banner of the Soochana Adhikar Milita Mancha, Ganjam would protest against the Central Government’s decision of amendment of the Right to Information (RTI) Act here on Sunday.

The association members said that over six million information applications are filed every year under the RTI Act, which is the most extensively-used transparency legislation globally.

By empowering millions of citizens across the country to question public authorities, the RTI Act has initiated the vital task of redistributing power in a democratic framework, they pointed out.

They termed the Centre’s move as ‘critical’ and demanded that no amendments are brought to dilute the law in anyway.

They also urged the Government that the text of the proposed RTI Amendment Bill must be immediately put in the public domain for public debate before being discussed in the Parliament. A proper participatory consultative process must be adopted to invite public comments and suggestions on the proposed legislation, they demanded.

They also pointed out that the Central Government had enacted the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 for constitution of Lokpal as the highest anti-corruption body for time-bound investigations into complaints relating to corruption.

But though four years have passed, the Government has not yet constituted the Lokpal in the country.

It might be mentioned here that within 12 years of implementation of the RTI Act, 71 RTI activists have been murdered and more than 300 had been brutally attacked and physically assaulted.