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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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
