Skip to main content

Importance of Right To Information Act

The Right to Information Act empowers all Indian Citizens to seek information from public authorities, which includes central, state and local governments, Parliament, judiciary, police, etc. Under RTI, a citizen can ask a question, seek information, take copies of official documents, inspect government work and its progress.

RTI has helped the citizens in the following manner: It has empowered them. It has made them aware of the functioning of the government machinery. RTI has made citizens vigilant and made them more conscious about their rights and duties. It has exposed various scams and has helped citizens in making wise choices.


Important Features of the Right to Information Act, 2005:


  • Every citizen possesses the right to information.

  • The term information includes any mode of information in any form of record, document, email, circular, press release, contract sample or electronic data etc. 

  • Right to information covers inspection of work, document, record and its certified copy and information in any other electronic mode. 

  • Applicant can obtain information within 30 days from the date of request in a normal case.



The Need of RTI for Good Governance


The enactment of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 was a landmark in the history of public administration in India. The new legislation brought sensitivity, responsibility and accountability to

the development process especially in the rural areas. RTI Act is path breaking in controlling corruption and delays in the implementation of Government-sponsored programs and in the functioning of public authorities.


Information and knowledge are critical for realizing all the human aspirations, such as, improvement in quality of life. Before this Act, the accountability of public authority was practically minimal. The people who voted for the formation of democratically elected Governments and paid taxes to finance public activities had no legal rights to know as to what process has been followed in framing the policies affecting them, how the programs have been implemented, who are the concerned officials associated with the decision making process and execution of the schemes and why the promises made for delivery of essential goods and services to the poor have not been fulfilled. 


Conclusion 


RTI – the significant instrument to access public information is a unique legislation that puts a common man in the same footing as that of an MP, MLA or any other member within the authority to seek accountability and appropriation of the functioning of the Government.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Top 5 Consumer Court Cases in India

People buy goods and services an inevitable process of their daily lives. We all need food clothing and shelter, which forms the basic necessities of our lives. And with the growing dependency on technology, it has also formed in some shape or form, a basic necessity. The world revolves around technology and the internet. While purchasing goods or services, you can come upon various problems from the one who delivers your goods or the service provider or an online vendor or anyone else. Here Are The Top 5 Consumer Cases In India  Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation v Ashok Iron Works Private Limited The Supreme court, in this case, held that a corporate body is included in the meaning of ‘person’ in section 2(1)(m) of the CPA. It reiterated the position of Lord Watson in Dilworth v. Commissioner of Stamps that the word “includes” is generally used to enlarge the meaning of the word but can alternatively be used to say “mean and include”, in which case what follows is an exhaus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Know about Common Cause VS Union of India Case

  What is Common Cause Case In 2002, Common Cause, a registered society had written to the Ministries of Law & Justice, Health & Family Welfare, and Company Affairs, also addressing the State Governments, on the issue of the right to die with dignity. Denying them the right to die in a dignified manner extends their suffering. Common Cause VS Union of India Common Cause, an organization that involves itself in various matters of public interest, filed a public interest petition pursuant to Article 32 of the Constitution of India in an effort to bring transparency to the collection of money used by candidates in the process of election. Common Cause argued that Article 324 of Constitution of India coupled with the cumulative effect of three statutory provisions – Section 293A of the Companies Act 1956, Section 13A of the Income-tax Act 1961, and Section 77 of the Representation of People Act 1950 – had the purpose of bringing transparency to the process of election-funding. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of 1973

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of 1973 authorises the Executive Magistrate of any state or territory to issue an order to prohibit the assembly of four or more people in an area. According to the law, every member of such 'unlawful assembly' can be booked for engaging in rioting. Section 144 is imposed in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger of some event that has the potential to cause trouble or damage to human life or property. Section 144 of CrPC generally prohibits public gathering. Section 144 has been used in the past to impose restrictions as a means to prevent protests that can lead to unrest or riots. The orders to impose Section 144 have been conferred to Executive Magistrate when there is an emergency situation. The definition of ' unlawful assembly ', according to Indian law, is laid down in Section 141 of the Indian Penal Code. According to this section, an assembly of five or more persons becomes unlawful when its purpose i...
Post a Comment
Read more