TOPIC OF THE DAY –
“Sunlight and shadow: on amendments to the RTI Act”
As a law that empowers the citizen, the Right to Information Act, 2005 quickly struck root in a country saddled with the colonial legacy of secretive government. The move by the NDA government to amend the far-sighted law aims at eroding the independence of the Information Commissions at the national level and in the States. The proposed amendments show that the Central government seeks control over the tenure, salary and allowances of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners at the Centre, and the State Chief Information Commissioners. Such a change would eliminate the parity they currently have with the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners and, therefore, equivalence with a judge of the Supreme Court in matters of pay, allowances and conditions of service. The Centre will also fix the terms for State Information Commissioners. This is an ill-advised move and should be junkedwithout standing on prestige. If at all, the law needs to be amended only to bring about full compliance by government departments and agencies that receive substantial funding from theexchequer, and to extend its scope to more institutions that have an influence on official policy. The Supreme Court has held the right to information as being integral to the right to free expression under Article 19(1)(a); weakening the transparency law would negate that guarantee. In its rationale for the amendments, the Centre has maintained that unlike the EC, Information Commissions are not constitutional bodies but mere statutory creations under the law. This is a narrow view, betraying an anxiety to tighten the hold of the administration on the Commissions, which even now get little official support to fill vacancies and improve efficiency. A recent public interest petition filed in the Supreme Court by the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information pointed out that the Central Information Commission has over 23,500 pending appeals and complaints, and sought the filling up of vacancies in the body. In many States, the Commissions are either moribund or working at low capacity owing to vacancies, resulting in apile-up of appeals. The challenges to the working of the law are also increasing, with many State departments ignoring the requirement under Section 4 of the Act to publish information suo motu. The law envisaged that voluntary disclosure would reduce the need to file an application. Since fines are rarely imposed, officers give incomplete, vague or unconnected information to applicants with impunity. Proposals to make it easier to pay the application fee, and develop a reliable online system to apply for information, are missing. These are the serious lacunae. Attempts were made by the UPA government also to weaken the law, including to remove political parties from its purview. Any move to enfeeble the RTI Act will deal a blow to transparency.
WORDS AND MEANINGS –
Struck
Meaning: Officially remove someone from membership of a professional group.
Example: “he was struck off by the Law Society and will never practise as a solicitor again”
Saddled with
Meaning: To put someone in a situation in which they have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant.
Example: Many people do not want traditional mortgages that saddle borrowers with debt for a fixed period.
Colonial
Meaning: Relating to or characteristic of a colony or colonies.
Example: “British colonial rule”
Far-sighted
Meaning: Showing a prudent awareness of future possibilities.
Example: “far-sighted ideas on education”
Synonyms: Prudent, Canny
Antonyms: Short-sighted
Eroding
Meaning: Gradually destroy or be gradually destroyed.
Example: “this humiliation has eroded what confidence Jean has”
Synonyms: Abrade, Crumble
Parity
Meaning: The state or condition of being equal, especially as regards status or pay.
Example: “parity of incomes between rural workers and those in industrial occupations”
Synonyms: Equality, Sameness
Equivalence
Meaning: The condition of being equal or equivalent in value, worth, function, etc.
Example: “knowledge of equivalence of units is required”
Synonyms: Equality, Agreement
Junked
Meaning: Discard or abandon unceremoniously.
Example: “sort out what could be sold off and junk the rest”
Synonyms: Discard, Scrap
Antonyms:
Prestige
Meaning: Widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality.
Example: “the firm has recently gained considerable prestige”
Synonyms: Status, Reputation
Exchequer
Meaning: A royal or national treasury; The account at the Bank of England in which is held the Consolidated Fund, into which tax receipts and other public monies are paid.
Example: “an important source of revenue to the sultan’s exchequer”
Integral
Meaning: Necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental.
Example: “games are an integral part of the school’s curriculum”
Synonyms: Essential, Basic
Antonyms: Incidental, Peripheral
Weakening
Meaning: Make or become weaker in power, resolve, or physical strength.
Example: “fault lines had weakened and shattered the rocks”
Synonyms: Enfeeble, Debilitate
Antonyms: Strengthen, Increase
Negate
Meaning: Deny the existence of.
Example: “negating the political nature of education”
Synonyms: Deny, Dispute
Antonyms: Confirm, Ratify
Rationale
Meaning: A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or belief.
Example: “he explained the rationale behind the change”
Synonyms: Reasoning, Thinking
Betraying
Meaning: Expose (one’s country, a group, or a person) to danger by treacherously giving information to an enemy.
Example: “a double agent who betrayed some 400 British and French agents to the Germans”
Synonyms: Deceive
Anxiety
Meaning: A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
Example: “he felt a surge of anxiety”
Synonyms: Worry, Concern
Antonyms: Calmness, Serenity
Pointed out
Meaning: To tell someone about some information, often because you believe they do not know it or have forgotten it.
Example: He was planning to book a rock-climbing holiday, till I pointed out that Denis is afraid of heights.
Sought
Meaning: Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something).
Example: “the new regime sought his extradition”
Synonyms: Pursue, Strive
Filling up
Meaning: To make something full, or to become full.
Example: The sales pipeline for his facility is starting to fill up with clients.
Moribund
Meaning: (of a thing) in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigour.
Example: “the moribund commercial property market”
Synonyms: Stagnant, Dying
Antonyms: Flourishing
Pile-up
Meaning: An accumulation of a specified thing.
Example: “a massive pile-up of data”
Envisaged
Meaning: Contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.
Example: “the Rome Treaty envisaged free movement across frontiers”
Synonyms: Foresee, Predict
Vague
Meaning: Of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning.
Example: “many patients suffer vague symptoms”
Synonyms: Indistinct, Indefinite
Antonyms: Clear, Precise
Impunity
Meaning: Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.
Example: “the impunity enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings”
Synonyms: Immunity, Amnesty
Antonyms: Liability, Responsibility
Reliable
Meaning: Consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted.
Example: “a reliable source of information”
Synonyms: Dependable, Good
Antonyms: Unrealizable, Dodgy
Purview
Meaning: The scope of the influence or concerns of something.
Example: “such a case might be within the purview of the legislation”
Enfeeble
Meaning: Make weak or feeble.
Example: “trade unions are in an enfeebled state”
Synonyms: Weaken, Disable
Antonyms: Strengthen
