RTI has been used to lessen corruption: CIC

The Right to Information has been effectively used to lessen corruption in a number of states, the Central Information Commission said in Lucknow on Saturday.

The Right to Information has been effectively used to lessen corruption in a number of states, the Central Information Commission said in Lucknow on Saturday.

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At the fifth national seminar and workshop on Right to Information Act organised in Lucknow, Central Information Commissioner M M Ansari said, “RTI has been used very effectively to bring down corruption in a number of states. However, it is important to understand that the commission is not your enemy, but a friend.”

Senior Judge of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Pradeep Kant said, “The information seekers using RTI must know what they desire. The request for information must be specific and not general or else the entire purpose of the act will be defeated.”

Former principal secretary in the Uttar Pradesh government S N Shukla said it was crucial for the government to look into what kind of people are inducted as commissioners.

President of UP chapter of Transparency International, Justice Kamleshwar Nath said that good governance in any country gives its citizens every right to information and demands transparency.

Afzal Ansari, chief coordinator and president, ‘Centre for Social Justice and Human Rights´ regretted that there was no representative from the State Information Commission at the seminar.