Page 4 - Information Commissions News Today

“Every public agency and municipality needs to understand that complying with our...

The CIC warned that calls made to the personal staff of the state information commissioners in pursuance of appeals or complaints would be tantamount to harassing, badgering and pressurising the Commission.

Large backlogs, tardy disposal rate and lack of diversity in the composition of information commissions are some of the shortcomings highlighted on Thursday by a citizens’ group in the functioning of Information Commissions across India.

A planned amendment says that all information that can be related to a person may be denied.

Although the Right to Information (RTI) Act empowers information commissioners (ICs) to impose penalties of up to Rs25,000 on erring public information officers (PIOs),

There are significant hurdles in accessing information, whether at the Union or state level.

The Central Information Commission to which Maharashtra is often compared, ranks fourth in the list with 26,724 appeals and complaints pending as compared to Maharashtra's 99,722.

As we enter the 17th year of the implementation of the RTI Act, there is more to be aggrieved about than to celebrate, as pendencies of second appeals and complaints with the central and state information commissions continue to be alarming; with vacancies, making the task more challenging.

Narendra Modi govt has been accused of diluting Right To Information Act through a series of amendments

Many agencies are denying information on the grounds that the information sought is personal and there is no larger public interest in its disclosure.