RTI a second Independence

Central Information Commissioner Madabhushanam Sridhar Acharyulu said that the inception of Right to Information Act in 2005 was like second Independence to people across the country.

Addressing a workshop on RTI at University of Hyderabad on Friday, he said that in India vigilance on the performance of government on a daily basis was very necessary. He said regular vigilance would help people to get information on their performance and bring out loopholes to be corrected for good governance.

World Intellectual Property Organisation-United Nations’ representative S Rama Rao in his inaugural address said the country had contributed largely to International Human Rights Law after getting Independence. “RTI Act has been recognised as freedom of expression. In 1990s, only 13 countries had national legislation on RTI but today there are more than 100 countries that are following this,” said Rama Rao. Rao further stated that it was only good governance that could give transparency and accountability. “We must bring out the black sheep out of secrecy to help in changing the system to benefit the common man,” he observed.

State Information Commissioner S Prabhakar Reddy in his keynote address said RTI Act was a great milestone in the evolution of democracy in the country. “In the past 10 years, it has ushered in transparency and good governance across the country. Though it is gaining awareness and has helped the poor sections to get information at low cost in short time, there is room for improvement,” he said.

Reddy further opined that authorities must implement pro-active disclosure and more powers to be given to the information commission to strengthen the RTI Act. He also advocated for adequate measures to provide safety to whistle-blowers.