New Delhi: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the Centre is trying to ‘subvert the historic Right to Information Act’ and added the RTI law now stands on the brink of extinction.
“It is a matter of utmost concern that the Central Government is hell-bent on completely subverting the historic Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. This law, prepared after wide-spread consultation and passed unanimously by Parliament, now stands on the brink of extinction,” Sonia said in a statement.
Statement by Chairperson Congress Parliamentary Party Smt. Sonia Gandhi on the attempt by the BJP Govt. to dilute the independence of the Central Information Commissioner. pic.twitter.com/OW0m8lhWzs
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 23, 2019
She also said that the present government sees the RTI Act as a nuisance and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission.
Her statement came a day after the Lok Sabha passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 amid strong protests from the Opposition.
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The proposed changes by the Centre involves the salaries and tenures of Information Commissioners at the states and centre. Presently, Information Commissioners have five-year tenures, but after the amendment, they will have ‘terms as may be prescribed by the central government’.
Also their salaries, instead of being on par with that of Election Commission officials, will be decided by the Central government. Activists say this is a coercive measure that will interfere with their freedom to make independent decisions.
The RTI law was passed by Parliament on June 15, 2005, and came fully into force on October 12, 2005.