Effective implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act has played an important role in helping the Congress,led by Sheila Dikshit,to form government for three consecutive terms in New Delhi,feels Wajahat Habibullah,Chief Central Information Commissioner. In fact,it had also helped late Y S R Reddy to regain power in Andhra Pradesh,Habibullah claimed,stressing that RTI doesnt only empower common people but governments too. He was addressing around 200 RTI activists from Uttar Pradesh during a two-day workshop-cum-seminar on Peoples Right to Information on Sunday. While through RTI,as aam admi gets to know what elected representatives are doing for their welfare during their five-year term,MPs and MLAs can also come clean and win over voters by ensuring transparency, said Habibullah,who is waiting to be relieved of his responsibilities in New Delhi and head the J&K information panel. Urging governments to ensure implementation of Section 4(1)B of the RTI Act (make transparent the functioning of government organisations),Habibullah said the House will itself get into order once the process of putting data on the website of every department begins. Prominent RTI activist Shekhar Singh,whose name is also in consideration for the post of CIC,spoke about safeguarding RTI and described how the law was drafted to catch corrupt officials in government departments. Founder member of the National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information (NCPRI),Singh also presented the findings of a recent nationwide survey conducted by his group. The survey tested the knowledge over 35,000 citizens across 10 states regarding RTI. Unfortunately,Uttar Pradesh did not figure in the survey as the State Information Commission could not supply them with the required records. The experts also expressed dismay over the proposed amendments to the RTI Act that include the introduction of an exemption for so-called vexatious and frivolous applications. A silent march to the Vidhan Sabha demanding that the government does not bring about any amendments into the Act,concluded the two-day workshop.
