Attended a Right To Information (RTI) workshop today in my college. It was conducted by Mr.Gaurang Vora, a practising Pathologist who is also an RTI activist. It was an excellent lecture. In fact, I am wrong in calling it a lecture..it is a interactive session on the subject.
We were around 29 of us and were very much enthused by the provisions of the act. It is really a welcome step by the Government of India, which has been taken after so many decades of independence. While the constitution provides for such a provision, it is almost 5 decades after which an act has been framed mentioning the guidelines and steps to be followed in obtaining the information. Kudos to all those activists who had slogged hard to get the Govt do something on this subject.
We were surprised to know the powers that we as citizens have in terms of our right to info. While apathy is still prevalent, this seems to be a step in right direction in curbing corruption. If one were to say that the Government servants are opposing this act tooth and nail, he/she is completely wrong because it is said that a good proportion of RTI applications are filed by the Govt servants themselves regarding promotions etc. This was a surprise news to me. At last, we got an Act which, unlike other acts, is a tool in the hands of the citizens rather than a tool against them.
We were around 29 of us and were very much enthused by the provisions of the act. It is really a welcome step by the Government of India, which has been taken after so many decades of independence. While the constitution provides for such a provision, it is almost 5 decades after which an act has been framed mentioning the guidelines and steps to be followed in obtaining the information. Kudos to all those activists who had slogged hard to get the Govt do something on this subject.
We were surprised to know the powers that we as citizens have in terms of our right to info. While apathy is still prevalent, this seems to be a step in right direction in curbing corruption. If one were to say that the Government servants are opposing this act tooth and nail, he/she is completely wrong because it is said that a good proportion of RTI applications are filed by the Govt servants themselves regarding promotions etc. This was a surprise news to me. At last, we got an Act which, unlike other acts, is a tool in the hands of the citizens rather than a tool against them.
1 comment:
The RTI act is definitely a big step forward. Lets hope that the act doesn't get diluted. Also, being among the educated 'elite' of the society, people like us must make use of acts like this.
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