The RTI Act is one of those rare pieces of legislation which empower citizens to look into the often ambiguous workings of the government and our elected representatives. Citizens have a right to know how the administration is not only using our funds but also delivering on its promises. Amending this to protect either the bureaucracy or the political system is against the spirit of not only the RTI Act but also our democratic credentials (Editorial page, “The tremor of unwelcome amendments”, July 22). The right to information is as important as the right to vote and altering this equation and making the RTI chief subservient to the government of the day is both anti-democratic and setting a wrong precedent. If any amendments are contemplated, the government should only further strengthen the laws and make them more ‘user-friendly’. At a time when India’s rank in the global transparency index is low, we cannot enact laws that cover up scrutiny.
H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
To say that the RTI Act has empowered citizens and brought transparency in government departments is not factual for the simple reason that replies to RTI queries are generally vague. Seldom does an applicant receive a pointed reply. The government should ensure that the Act should serve its true objective and is not shortchanged by government officials under the guise of technicalities. Another fact is that most of the information in the public domain is through whistle-blowers who need to be protected.
Deepak Singhal,
Noida