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RTI amendment threatens freedom of information, believe Pune activists
The recent amendments made to the Right to Information (RTI) Act are disturbing to the democracy,” said Mahesh Zagade, retired secretary, Maharashtra state.
The recent amendments made to the Right to Information (RTI) Act are disturbing to the democracy,” said Mahesh Zagade, retired secretary, Maharashtra state.
Zagade was speaking at an open discussion on the recent amendments made to the RTI Act and anti-corruption bill. The discussion was organised by Pune-based Sajag Nagrik Manch and was held on Sunday at Institute of Management Development and Research (IMDR) auditorium. Vivek Velankar, activist and Jugal Rathi ,founder- president of Sajag Nagarik Manch were present for the event.
“India’s Right to Information Act, recognised as one of the most robust sunshine laws, has been mutilated. The RTI Act came into existence in 2005, and since then, there are certain authorities who have been against this law. The next step was to absorb the RTI Act in the Constitution of India and make it a fundamental right. However, that did not happen. It is clear that the government has weakened the law without providing any credible rationale for doing so. A culture of giving the information should have been enhanced in our country, but it actually went backwards” said Zagade
Zagade said, “Many people have to go the Supreme Court to get the information. If one has to make the administration corruption-free, then, every piece of information should be made available to the public. The RTI Act is not only used by the activists, it is also used by the common public. Hence, the amendment should be scrapped as it threatens the freedom of information and the RTI Act should be included in the Constitution.”
Talking about the Anti-corruption Act amendment, Zagade said, “The amendment was made in 2017 without informing the people. We need to strengthen the Acts. If information is oxygen, then corruption is a disease. Today, the entire system has collapsed and we have to work, towards making it efficient.”
