It was not very long, when India began showing the signs of corruption, after its hard-earned independence in 1947. Latest scoring by the International watchdog Transparency International, ranks India 84th among the most corrupt nations in the world. After almost 58 years of blatant corruption, the Right to Information Act was passed in the year 2005.
According to the RTI Portal, the Act, “….mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information.” Except the designated entities, every public or private body, financed by public authorities or the Government, come under the purview of this Act. This Act is being considered the most powerful tool in the hands of the citizens, after the Right to Vote.
However, RTI has met with limited success so far. One of the key reasons is the limited awareness about the Act. A nationwide survey revealed that only 12% of the women and 26% of the men in India are aware about such legislation. Government’s initiatives for educating people about the Act have also been slack. Out of the total budget allocation of Rs. 14.16 crores for RTI for 2009-10, only Rs. 3.55 crores was spent by the end of October. Another glitch is the actual implementation. Shocking statistics of only 27% of the applicants receiving the information were revealed recently.
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