RTI Act 20th anniversary: Congress warns against its erosion
Bengaluru (PTI): Marking the 20th anniversary of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Congress on Sunday reaffirmed the party's commitment to protect and strengthen the law, calling it one of the "greatest democratic reforms" of modern India and warned that its erosion amounts to an erosion of democracy itself.
In a statement, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the historic RTI Act came into being on October 12, 2005, during the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh.
The Act was a milestone in empowering citizens to access information, ensuring transparency and accountability in governance, and acting as a lifeline for the most marginalised sections of society.
However, since 2014, he said, “RTI has been consistently eroded.”
The 2019 amendments “weakened independence and increased executive influence” by giving the Union Government control over the tenure and service conditions of Information Commissioners.
“RTI has been one of the greatest democratic reforms of modern India, enabling citizens to hold power accountable and its erosion is an erosion of democracy itself,” said Shivakumar, also the Congress state chief.
Further, the 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act broadened the scope of ‘personal information’, effectively turning it into an absolute exemption from disclosure.
“By treating critical public data as private, this undermines public audit and scrutiny,” the note added.
The Deputy CM also flagged the weakening of Central and State Information Commissions, pointing out that the Central Commission currently has only two members against a sanctioned strength of 11, and that as of June 2024, over 4.05 lakh appeals and complaints were pending nationwide.
“No answers were given when RTIs sought details on the PM’s foreign tours or the functioning of the PM CARES Fund,” it observed.
The note highlighted attacks on RTI activists, including the killings of Shehla Masood and Satish Shetty, and criticised the non-implementation of the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, calling it a 'deliberate refusal' by the government.
Reiterating RTI’s role as a way of constitutional and social empowerment, the Congress demanded restoration of Information Commissions’ independence, amendment of DPDP Act provisions, filling of vacancies, performance reporting, protection for RTI users and whistleblowers, and inclusion of journalists, activists, and women in Commissions.
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Chhattisgarh govt enforces austerity measures, restricts foreign travel and cuts convoy vehicles
Raipur (PTI): The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday rolled out a set of austerity measures, including restricted use of convoy vehicles for the chief minister, ministers and heads of state-run bodies, besides curbs on foreign travel at government expense.
The state has decided to implement the cost-saving steps with immediate effect to ensure efficient management of financial resources and discipline in public spending, said a directive issued by Finance Secretary Rohit Yadav.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The order said that only essential vehicles should be used in the convoys of the CM, ministers and office-bearers of corporations, boards and commissions, while ensuring restrained use of other government resources.
It also directed departments to take steps for a phased conversion of all official vehicles into electric vehicles in order to promote the use of EVs.
As part of fuel-saving measures, expenditure on petrol and diesel for government vehicles should be kept to a minimum, the directive said.
Vehicle pooling arrangements should also be implemented for officials of departments travelling to the same destination, it added.
The order further stated that foreign travel of government employees at state expenses will be completely prohibited except under extremely unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, prior approval of the CM will be mandatory.
To reduce administrative expenditure, departments have been instructed to hold physical meetings preferably only once a month and encourage virtual and online meetings. Regular departmental review meetings should compulsorily be conducted through video conferencing, it said.
The government also stressed the need for energy conservation in its offices, directing that all electrical equipment, including lights, fans, air-conditioners and computers, must be switched off after office hours.
The directive will remain effective till September 30 this year.
Amid the war involving the US, Israel and Iran, Modi has suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of EVs, utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
