[rti4empowerment] A RAY OF HOPE ON RTI EFFECTIVENESS

A RAY OF HOPE ON RTI EFFECTIVENESS

(Extract from Times of India, 27.2.2011)

 

Sonias NAC prevails over govt on RTI, forest rights

Seeks Staggered Food Act Rollout

Subodh Ghildiyal & Himanshi Dhawan | TNN

New Delhi: The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) has won decisive victories in keeping at bay the governments attempt to regulate the Right to Information and ensuring that the pro-tribal Forest Rights Act (FRA) is made more effective for its intended beneficiaries.

It disagreed with the government and insisted that procuring 65 million tonnes of foodgrain for a full rollout of the programme was not a difficult task.The Council,seen as a policy interface with civil society,is an influential body providing policy and legislative inputs,headed as it is by the Congress president.

Prevailing on RTI and forest rights are major achievements while guaranteeing 35kg of foodgrain a month to families below the poverty line and sections of the urban poor is a key Sonia scheme,too.

The differences had fed into a perception of divergence between the Congress and the government.

On RTI, the government ceded ground on its bid to restrict an application to 250 words and a clause stating inquiry end on applicants death.

 

NAC forces govt to lift word limit on RTI applications

New Delhi: On RTI, the government ceded ground to Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) in its bid to restrict an application to 250 words and a clause stating an inquiry would end if the applicant died.

Now,it will say an application should preferably not exceed 500 words.It has also agreed that a query will not cease on an applicants death.The government is still insisting that an RTI application should be focused on one subject.But NAC has decided not to give up.Sonia Gandhi told council members on Friday that this should be pursued with the government.

Department of Personnel and Training had earlier opposed NACs suggestions.Information activists who saw the proposed amendments as a bid to dilute the powerful act can rejoice after a protracted three-month battle.The 250-word cap and the single-subject rule are in particular seen to be limiting clauses.Abatement of an appeal in case of an applicants death has also seen activists arguing that this provision could be misused to kill people asking uncomfortable questions as has been reported in some cases recently.

 

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