1

Project Report on

“SIGNIFICANCE
OF RTI IN
DEMOCRACY”

Submitted to : Submitted by :

Prof. Kajori Bhatnagar Ravleen Kaur

University Institute of Legal Section B

Studies, 72/16

Panjab University
 2

TABLE OF CASES

1. Dinesh Trivedi V. Union of India

(1997) 4 SCC 306
2. Re Harijai Singh
AIR 1997 SC 73
3. SP Gupta V. Union of India
AIR 1982 SC 149
4. Union of India V. Association for Democratic Reforms
(2002) 5 SCC 294
 3

INDEX

Sr.no. Particulars Page No

1. Acknowledgement 4
2. Introduction 5
3. What is Right to Information? 7
4. Important Features of RTI 8
5. Background of RTI in India 10
6. Object of RTI 11
7. Democracy 12
8. The Constitutional Perspective 15
9. RTI: Life Blood of Democracy 21
10. Impact of RTI in Rural India 26
11. Conclusion 27
12. Bibliography and Webliography 28
 4

Acknowledgement
It is not possible to prepare report without the
assistance and encouragement of other people.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to

Professor Kajori Bhatnagar for giving me this
opportunity to do this wonderful project. It helped
me do a lot of research and I gained a lot of
knowledge throughout this.

I would also like to thank my friends who constantly

helped me throughout the project.
 5

INTRODUCTION1
“Where a society has chosen to accept democracy as its creedal faith, it is
elementary that the citizens ought to know what their government is doing.” –

Justice P N Bhagwati

India is a democratic republic state. Here the Government is of the people, by the
people and for the people. Therefore the people of our country have the right to
know about state affairs.

Freedom of information brings openness in the administration which helps to

promote transparency in state affairs, keep government more accountable and
finally reduce corruption. The free flow of information is must for democratic
society as it helps the society to grow and to retain a continuous debate and
discussion among the people. But the access to information held by a public
authority was possible until 2005. Before that the common people did not have any
legal right to know about the public policies and expenditures. The concept of
good governance directly emanates from the right to know which seems too
implicit in the right to free speech and expression. Governance is a comprehensive
term covering various aspects of the organization and structure of government,
which have an impact on the efficiency of government and the delivery of public
services, and incorporates accountability, transparency, political/administrative
decentralization and administrative vigilance to check corruption. Good
governance can be related to the basic goals of a society as enshrined in its
1
http://aarf.asia/download.php?filename=vWNlCX6qdJWkOsL.pdf&new=
 6

constitution and other policy and plan documents. A faceless citizen is now blessed
with a tool with the help of which he can now demand from the high and mighty in
the government to know the details of every action they take, professedly on behalf
of the people. The responsibility of ensuring that the RTI Act will deliver its
potential rests with us. In India, the RTI Act (The Right to Information) was passed
by the parliament in October 12, 2005, after passing bill by both the houses of
parliament. The Right to Information Bill, 2005 was passed by the Lok Sabha on
May 11, 2005 and by the Rajya Sabha on May 12, 2005 and received the assent of
the President of India on June 15, 2005 and came to force on October 12, 2005,
thus opening up the governance processes of our country to the public. The Right
to Information is implicitly guaranteed by the Constitution. The RTI Act is
considered to be the most revolutionary of all enactments in Independent India.
The right to information and the assurance of widespread citizen participation in
public affairs and an active civil society are essential for the full realization of
democracy. This law is very comprehensive and covers almost all matters of
governance and has the widest potential, being applicable to Government at all
levels- Union, State and Local as well as recipients of government grants. The RTI
Act, which if used sensibly and efficiently can take the country in the direction of
new democracy and good governance.
 7

WHAT IS RIGHT TO INFORMATION?2

According to Section 2(j) of the Right to Information Act 2005 the term “right to
information” means the right to information accessible under the Act which is held
by or under the control of any public authority and powers under the Act include
the right to:

1. Right to inspect works, documents, records

2. Right to take notes, extracts or certified copies
3. Right to take samples of material
4. Right to obtain information in electronic form of diskettes, floppies, tapes,
video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through print outs where
such information is stored in a computer or in any other device
5. Right to information whose disclosure is in the public interest.

What is information under Section 2(f)(I)(j),4

Facsimile Floppy,Disc

Anything which can be given to Microfilm,Microfiche,

Legislature Printout

Suggestions,Press Record-Documents-
Reports,Papers,Sa
notes, Circulars,log Memos-E-mials-
mples,Data Opinions
books

2
Sridhar Madabhushi,RTI USE AND ABUSE,Allahabad Law Agency,1 st Edition,p10
 8

IMPORTANT FEATURES OF RIGHT TO

INFORMATION ACT 20053

1) Features that strengthen democracy :

Below features strengthened democracy through active participation of citizens:
 Every citizen has right to claim information from public authorities under
the act.
 Public authorities have an obligation to provide the sought information to the
applicants with certain restrictions related to national security, personal
information and third party information.
 Fee has been prescribed for seeking information to check fraudulent
applications. However, persons below poverty line have been exempted from
payment of fees.
2) Features leading to transparency :
 A large amount of information has to be placed in the public domain by
ways of manuals prescribed under the Act.
 All the Government departments along with a number of bodies which
receive substantial funding from the Government have been brought under the
RTI.
3) Features leading to accountability :
 RTI Act provide for setting up of Central Information Commission and State
Information Commission. These Commissions act as the Second Appellate
Authority and also exercise supervision and monitoring over the functioning of
Public Information Officers.
3
https://blog.forumias.com/page/answered-discuss-salient-features-of-rti-act-2005-what-are-various-issues-and-
loopholes-in-rti-act
 9

 Public authorities have to provide information as early as possible as but not

later than 30 days (not later than 48 hours in the matters pertaining to life and
liberty of an individual).
 In case of delay, the Central Information Commission or the State
Information Commission can impose a penalty. The Commission can also
recommend disciplinary proceedings against the officials guilty of the not
providing information with malafide intention.
 In case of denial or not providing proper information an appellate structure
has also been provided. First appeal lies with the First Appellate Authority
nominated by the Department while the second appeal lies with the Central
Information Commission or State Information Commission.
 10

BACKGROUND OF RTI IN INDIA4

Disclosure of information held by public authorities in India was governed by the

Official Secrets Act (1923) enacted during the British rule. The Supreme Court of
India had in several judgments prior to enactment of the RTI Act, interpreted
Constitution to read RTI because the fundamental right as embodied in right to
freedom of speech and expression and right to life. The real movement for right to
information in India originated in the grass roots level. A mass based organization
called the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) took an initiative to lead the
people in very backward region of Rajasthan to assert their right to information by
asking for copies of bills and vouchers and names of persons who have been
shown in the muster rolls on the construction of schools, dispensaries, small dams
and community centers as having been paid wages. On paper such development
projects were all completed, but it common knowledge of villagers that there was
gross misappropriation of funds with roofless school buildings, dispensaries
without walls, damns left incomplete, and community centres having no doors and
windows, besides poor quality of cement being used for construction. Thus the
idea of a right to information was evolved by the judiciary by reading the same
into the fundamental right of the citizens freedom of speech and expression. The
reactions and response are that, several states of India started enacting their own
laws of Right to Information. This Act, however, was found to be falling short of
the expectations of the public and hence “The National Advisory Committee”
(NAC) suggested certain important changes to be incorporated in the existing Act
to ensure smoother and greater access to information. Having examined the
suggestions made by the NAC and others, the Government decided to make

4
http://aarf.asia/download.php?filename=vWNlCX6qdJWkOsL.pdf&new=
 11

number of changes in the law and Right to Information Act, 2005 was enacted and
the Freedom of Information Act, 2002 was repealed. The Right to Information
Act, 2005 fully came into force since 12th October, 2005.

OBJECT OF RTI5
All citizens have a right to information. The question is as to why such a right is at
all needed to a citizen. The answer is there in the Preamble itself – to promote
transparency and accountability in the working of public authorities. Our
constitution has established a democratic Republic. Democracy is the vien in the
system of our governance. The very concept of democracy requires an informed
citizency and transparency of information. The entire administrative set up,
subject to however some exceptions, should be transparent. The subject has a right
to know what is going on in the system. That makes people at the helm of affairs
alert in the functioning. They must be aware that they are accountable for every of
their action to the citizens. It helps in containing corruption and acting in a
whimsical fashion.
The dream that inspired the founding fathers of Indian Constitution was the vision
of an Indian society in which fundamental guarantee is there of their welfare. The
welfare of the people is the crux of the Constitution, leaving behind the footprints
of oppression of weak and exposed.
In democracy abuse of authority is often seen. Sometimes the system to protect
becomes the instrument t of oppression. It is known that “power corrupts and
absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The administrators are often not able to on
guard to avoid the potential and insidious corrupting influence of power. It would

5
Deewans,The Right to Information Act,2005,Indian Law House Cannaught Place,New Delhi,Edition2010,p113
 12

be an insult to the founders of the constitution to say that democracy is in dilemma

to provide adequate social justice. The administration is more politicized than
grounded in adequate philosophical principles.
Ours is a society in which the liberty of the individual, no matter what his/her
religion, race or social standing, is protected and manifestly so protected by
constitutional guarantees.

DEMOCRACY 6
It is obvious from the constitution that we have adopted a democratic form of
Government. Where a society has chosen to accept democracy there the citizen
ought to know what their government is doing. The citizens have a right to decide
by whom and by rules they shall be governed and they are entitled to call on those
who govern on their behalf to account for their conduct. No democratic
government can survive without accountability and the basic postulate of
accountability is that the people should have information about the functioning of
the government. It is only if the people know how the government is functioning
that they can fulfill the role which the democracy assigns to them and make
democracy a really effective participative democracy.
The citizens’ right to know the facts and truth is thus one of the pillars of a
democratic state. And that is why the demand for openness in the government is
increasingly growing in different parts of the world.
The demand for openness in the government is based principally on two reasons.
It is now widely accepted that the democracy does not consist merely in people

6
Ray Sinha SK,Right to Information Act,2005,Vinod Publications(P)Ltd,p2
 13

exercising their franchise one in five years to choose their rules and once the vote
is cast, then retiring in passivity and not taking any interest in the government.
Today it is common ground that democracy has a more positive content and its
orchestration has to be continuous and pervasive. This means inter alia that people
should not only cast intelligent and rational votes but should exercise sound
judgment on the conduct of the government and the merits of public policies, so
that democracy does not remain merely a sporadic exercise in voting but becomes
a continuous process of government – an attitude and habit of mind. Bu this is
important role that people can fulfill in democracy only if it is an open
government where there is full access to information in regard to the functioning
of the government.
There is also in every democracy a certain amount of public suspicion and distrust
of government, varying of course from time to time according to its performance
which prompts people to insist upon maximum exposure of its functioning. It is
axiomatic that every action of the government must be actuated by public interest
but even so we find cases, though not many, where governmental action is taken
not for public good but for personal gain or other extraneous considerations.
Sometimes governmental action is influenced by political and other motivations
and pressures and at times, there are also instances of misuse or abuse of authority
over part of the executive. Now if secrecy were to be observed in the functioning
of government and the processes of government were to be kept hidden from
public scrutiny, it would tend to promote and encourage oppression, corruption
and misuse or abuse of authority, for it would all be shrouded in the veil of
secrecy without any public accountability. But if there is an open government with
means of information available to the public, there would be greater exposure of
the functioning of government and it would help to assure the people a better and
more efficient administration. There can be little doubt that exposure is surest
 14

means of achieving a clean and healthy administration. It has been truly said that
an open government is clean government and a powerful safeguard against
political and administrative aberration and inefficiency.
 15

THE CONSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE 7

“The right to know, which is derived from the concept of freedom of
speech, though not absolute, is a factor which should make one wary,
when secrecy is claimed for transactions which can, at any rate, have
no repercussion on public safety.”

Preamble of the Constitution starts with ‘we the people of India’ having solemnly
resolved to constitute a democratic republic….and it gives to ourselves.’ It also
guarantees us many freedoms under Article 19 along with other fundamental
rights; one of them is freedom of SPEECH AND EXPRESSION. The preamble of
the Constitution read with Article 19(1)(a) guaranteed that liberty of thought
based on the freedom of speech and expression, which is an essential component
of the democratic governance. The genesis of freedom of information is the
thought and expression, therefore, right to information is an invisible integral part
of the right of free speech. Undoubtedly, the information is vital not only for the
life of society but also for the life of individual, therefore right to life and personal
liberty enshrined by Article 21 includes the basic right to be informed. To
understand the constitutional authority, we should have a detailed study of
democratic state, right to freedom of speech with its limitations, right to privacy
under the Constitution and judicial imperative, and authorities against whom such
rights are available(state).

7
Malik Pal Krishna, Right to Information and Protection to Whistle blowers,Allahabad Law Agency,2 nd Edition,p22
 16

1. Indian Democracy required openness of the Government functionaries:

The Preamble of Constitution unlike other enactments, explicates gist of the
intention of the Constituent Assembly. It has been established, that while
interpreting any provision of it, the Preamble should be considered an integral
part of it and should be treated as guidelines for the interpretation of the
Constitution, whenever there is ambiguity.
A Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court held that Freedom of Speech and
Expression of opinion is of paramount importance under a democratic
constitution which envisages changes in the composition of legislatures and
governments and must be preserved. The Freedom of Speech and of the Press
is the Ark of the Covenant of democracy because public criticism is essential to
the working of its institutions.
In 1981, the call for right for information was made amply loud and clear in
S.P.Gupta V. Union of India8. Justice Bhagwati while emphasizing on the
concept of democracy adopted by the Indian Constitution observed that no
democratic government can survive without accountability and the basic
postulate of accountability is that the people should have information about the
functioning of the government.
In 1997, JUSTICE FAIZAN UDDIN of the Supreme Court, once again held
that in a democratic set up, there to be an active and intelligent participation of
the people in all spheres and affairs of their community, as well as, the state. It
is their right to be informed about current political, social, economic and
cultural life as well as the burning topics and important issues of the day in
order to enable them to consider and form a broad opinion about the same and

8
AIR 1982 SC 149
 17

the way in which they are managed, tackled and administered by the
Government and its Functionaries.9
In another judgment in the same year, the Chief Justice of India, JUSTICE
AHMADI, held that in modern constitutional democracies, it is axiomatic that
citizens have a right to know about the affairs of the government which, have
been elected by them, seeks to formulate sound policies of governance aimed at
for their welfare. To ensure the continued participation of the people in the
democratic process, they must be kept informed of the vital decisions taken by
the government and the basis thereof.
In 2002, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court headed by JUSTICE
M.B.SHAH, in one of its landmark judgment had taken one step ahead while
holding that the right to get information in democracy is recognized all
throughout and it is a natural right flowing from the concept of democracy.
In 2009, the Supreme Court held that democracy is a part of the basic structure
of our Constitution and rule of law and free and fair election are basic features of
democracy.
As far as LIMITATION OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY is concerned, the
Supreme Court has not yet declared it as absolute freedom but, way back in
1997, it observed that Indian Democracy means to disclose all the information
but also said that it is with limitation. The democracy expects openness and
openness is a concomitant of a free society. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. But
it is equally important to be alive to the dangers that lie ahead. It is important to
realize that undue popular pressure brought on decision makers can have
frightening side effects. If every action taken by the political or executive
functionary is transformed into a public controversy and made subject to inquiry
to soothe popular sentiments, it will undoubtedly have a chilling effect on the
9
In Re, Harijai Singh, AIR 1997 SC 73
 18

independence of the decision maker who may find it safer not to take any
decision. It will paralyze the entire system and bring it to a grinding halt. So we
have two conflicting situations, almost enigmatic, and we think the answer is to
maintain a fine balance which would serve public interest. The Supreme Court in
Dinesh Trivedi V. Union of India10 held that however, like all other rights, right
to know has recognized certain limitations; it is by no means; absolute….
Implicit in this assertion is the proposition that in transaction which have serious
repercussions on public security, secrecy can legitimately be claimed because it
would them be in the public interest that such matters are not publicly disclosed
or disseminated.

2. Right to Know is integral part of Freedom of Speech

It has been established that right to information is integral part of freedom of
speech and expression under article 19(1). In due course of time, several species
of rights are not expressly written in Article 19(1)(a) have branched off from
the genus of the Article through the process of interpretation by the Supreme
Court of India. One such right is the ‘right to know’ or ‘the right to
information’, which is a right guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) as a part of the
right to ‘freedom of speech and expression’ has evoked a forceful refutation.

3. Scope and Limitation of Freedom of Speech and Expression

Freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) is subject
to the limitations imposed by clause(2). Clause (2) says that this freedom
{freedom under Article 19(1)(a)} shall not affect the operation of any existing
10
(1997)4SCC306
 19

law, or prevent the state from making any law, in so far as such law imposes
reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub
clauses in the interests of:
 The sovereignty and integrity of India
 The security of the state
 Friendly relations with foreign states
 Public order
 Decency or morality
 In relation to contempt of court, defamation, or incitement to an offence

The Apex court further held that (Union of India v. Association for Democratic
Reforms11) the people of the country have a right to know every public act,
everything that is done in a public way by the public functionaries. Members of
Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly are undoubtedly public
Functionaries. Public education is essential for the functioning of the process of
popular government and to assist the discovery of truth and strengthening the
capacity of an individual in participating in the decision making process. The
decision making process of a voter would include his right to know about public
functionaries who are required to be elected by him.

11
(2002) 5 SCC 294
 20

4. Is Right to Information part of right to life under Article 21

Right to Know is a part and parcel of the right to freedom of speech and expression
under Article 19 of the Constitution, but the judiciary has given it more importance
than the other freedom, provided by Article 19, therefore, in some of the cases, the
court has emphasized on the right by interpreting it as part of ‘right to life’ under
Article 21.

In 1998, the Supreme Court held that right to know is a basic right to which
citizens of a free country aspire in the broader horizon of the right to live in this
age or our land under Article 21 of our Constitution. The Supreme Court observed
that ‘people at large have a right to know in order to be able to take part in a
participatory development in industrial life and democracy’. The court further held
that right has reached new dimensions and urgency and also emphasis on that the
right puts greater responsibility upon those who take upon the responsibility to
inform.

In 2002-03, the Supreme Court observed that the right to get information in
democracy is recognized everywhere and it is a natural right flowing from the
concept of democracy.
 21

RTI: LIFE BLOOD OF DEMOCRACY12

‘Access to public information is a requisite for the very functioning of democracy,

greater transparency, and good governance and that, in a representative and
participatory democratic system, the citizenry exercises its constitutional rights,
inter alia, the rights to political participation, the vote, education, and association,
by means of broad freedom of expression and free access to information’-

Organisation of American States General Assembly Resolution, 2003

(A) Good Governance & Inclusive Democracy

In practical terms, governance is undoubtedly strengthened by the existence of a

right to information. Meaningful, substantive democracy is founded on the notion
of an informed public that is able to participate thoughtfully in its own governance.
In this context, governments committed to participatory and representative
democracy have embraced the right to information as a practical mechanism for
facilitating the meaningful engagement of their constituents in the activities of
government. At a more basic level, without information, representative democracy
is undermined because the public have insufficient information on which to base
the exercise of their vote. Voters may fall back on tribal, clan, religious or class
affiliations as the basis for their choice, instead of choosing their parliamentary
representatives on the basis of the strength of their policies or their past experience
and demonstrated capacity.

12
https://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/programs/ai/rti/articles/RTI%20Paper%20-
%202005%20Ombuds%20Conf.pdf
 22

Apart from elections, access to information is vital to ensuring that the public can
engage with their representatives and the bureaucracy on an ongoing basis, and can
therefore more effectively participate in the development and implementation of
policies and activities purportedly designed for their benefit. Too often, members
of the public have difficulty finding out what the bureaucracy is doing and whether
it is doing it effectively. In fact, Ombudsmen are often on the frontline in
mediating such problems between the public and the bureaucracy. Access to
information laws can also be used to systematically address this problem. Most
commonly, in addition to allowing access to information upon request, most access
laws also specifically require proactive disclosure of information regarding public
consultations, regular open meetings of committees and councils and any other
opportunities for the public to participate in policy-making. Good access laws can
also provide a useful oversight and participation mechanism for non-Cabinet
parliamentarians and government watchdogs like Ombudsman, who themselves are
also sometimes left out of key policy and budget processes. Democracy and
national stability are also enhanced by policies of openness which engender greater
public trust in elected representatives. This is crucial ñ without the support and
trust of the people, government will be more likely to face resistance to proposed
policies and programs and implementation will be more difficult. Conflict also
becomes more likely, particularly if government secrecy exacerbates perceptions
of favouritisim and/or exclusion. Systems that encourage communication and give
people the ability to personally scrutinise government decision-making processes
reduce citizens’ feelings of powerlessness, and weaken perceptions of exclusion
from opportunity or unfair advantage of one group over another. It effectively
reduces the distance between government and people and combats feelings of
alienation.
 23

(B) Tackling Corruption

Access to information is a key mechanism for ensuring transparency and is a

proven anti-corruption tool. The World Bank estimates that corruption can reduce
a country's growth rate by 0.5 to 1.0 percentage points per year. The harmful
effects of corruption are especially severe on the poor, who are hardest hit by
economic decline, most dependent on the provision of public services, and least
capable of paying the extra costs associated with bribery, fraud, and the
misappropriation of economic privileges. In this context, the right to information
has proven to be an effective antidote to corruption, equipping parliamentarians,
anti-corruption bodies (such as Ombudsmen) and the public with a tool to
breakdown the walls of secrecy that shield corrupt officials. A legally entrenched
right to access documents held by the government (and in some cases, by private
bodies) can be used to collect hard evidence of malfeasance and hold officials
accountable. The right to information also serves as an important deterrent - the
knowledge that a decision may be open to review by the public at a later stage can
discourage the decision-maker from acting dishonestly. Officials will be aware that
it will be much more difficult to hide their bad behaviour from public scrutiny. In
practice, access laws can be used very effectively at the community level, for
example, to expose cases where implementing agencies fail to properly discharge
their duties, both to the government and the public. They can also be utilised to
expose high-level corruption, for example, through obtaining documents that
reveal tainted government decision-making processes. Although Ombudsmen
should not have to go to such lengths to acquire the documentation they need to
perform their oversight function, nonetheless, right to information can be a handy
mechanism for accessing records and more generally, for supporting calls for
greater government transparency and accountability.
 24

Keeping An Eye On Those Responsible For Implementing Government Policies

In Delhi, India a crusading NGO used right to information legislation to access information which
showed that almost 90% of the food meant to be distributed to poor people under the Indian Public
Distribution System (PDS), was being siphoned off by corrupt ration dealers. The NGO, named
Parivartan, obtained the sales registers and stock registers of some ration dealers in October 2003 using
the Delhi Right to Information Act. The records related to distribution of wheat, rice and kerosene during
June 2003. The information was disseminated to supposed recipients of rations, who were aghast to see
that rations had been siphoned off in their names. The ration dealers had told PDS beneficiaries that they
were not receiving stocks from the government, while selling the rations on the black market. Using the
records obtained under the Right to Information Act and cross-checking it against the ration cards kept by
PDS beneficiaries, Parivartan’s research revealed that during the month of June, out of a total of 182
families interviewed, 142 families did not receive a single grain of wheat (only 595kg of 4650kg was
distributed) and 167 families did not receive a single grain of rice (only 110kg of 1820kg was distributed).
With their documents in hand, Parivartan was able to confront ration dealers with proof of their corrupt
practices. Parivartan has since reported that of 82 families they spoke with in follow-up interviews, all
were now getting their full entitlements at correct prices.

mmmmmm

KKKJK

(C) Participatory Development

Sadly, although some countries in the Asia-Pacific have demonstrated impressive

development over the last few decades, there still remain main nations in the region
who are marked by poverty and under-development. With assured information,
marginalised groups will be given their rightful voice and a powerful tool to
scrutinise and engage with the development activities being directed at them. They
can access information about their development rights, as well as the projects and
programmes from which they are supposed to be benefiting. In fact, experience
shows that personal information is the most common type accessed under right to
information laws. People use the law to ensure they receive proper entitlements and
find out what the government is doing for them or for their locality.
 25

(D) Equitable Economic Growth

Economic development is enhanced and deepened by the right to information. As

most experts agree, free information is crucial to the development of a modern
economy capable of engaging in the globalised international marketplace while
still fostering pro-poor economic growth. It is for this reason that most of the
International Financial and Trade Institutions, such as the World Bank and IMF,
have repeatedly endorsed the importance of transparency and have included the
implementation of effective right to information legislation in country strategies as
a key practical mechanism for promoting said transparency. Open and free access
to information is also valuable in ensuring equitable economic development. In this
context, it is notable that it has long been recognised that the poor have too often
been excluded from participating in the management of their own economies and
from accessing the benefits of economic development. The right to information is
an important tool that can be used to ensure markets work for people rather than
corporations. At the high policy end, parliamentarians and the public can exercise
their right to access information to obtain documents on trade and economic
policy. At the other end of the spectrum, people can use their right to obtain
information such as tax, wage and occupation health and safety entitlements and
compliance.
 26

IMPACT OF RTI IN RURAL INDIA13

Information is the currency that every citizen requires to participate in democracy.

The greater the access of the citizen to information, the greater would be the
responsiveness of Government towards its people. Despite launching various
schemes and measures for empowering and developing rural India, the majority of
rural India is still recognized by high incidence of poverty and illiteracy,
widespread disease, considerable unemployment, prevalent malnutrition level
among children, miserable rural infrastructure like roads, electricity, primary
health, drinking water, traditional way of farming, lack of irrigation facilities and
many other such sociopolitical problems. It is a non deniable fact that the rural
people are less aware in knowing and exercising their right that results in growing
corruption rate of public works in the rural area. It is at this juncture that a tool like
RTI can make the path breaking impact in combating corruption and giving the
people their share of interest which the Government assures them. The most
important feature that distinguishes the Right to information from other rights is
that it is deeply rooted in the struggles and concerns for survival and justice of
most disadvantaged rural people. The Act is influencing rural people to come
forward and question the progress on various welfare schemes, creating a positive
change in the most backward areas of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam and in Maharashtra.

13
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CONCLUSION
RTI is a powerful tool which can provide strong support
to democracy and promote good governance by
empowering citizens to participate effectively and hold
government officials responsible. In fact, RTI must go
beyond providing information to serving as a watchdog
and ensuring that all those coming under the purview of
the Act work in consonance with rules and regulations.
Since the implementation of the RTI Act, it has
established itself as an important tool in handling
corruption and inefficiency in the Government. Although
there have been instances of misuse of the Act, but it has
served its purpose well. Issues and loopholes in RTI
should be removed through proper amendment to further
the objectives of transparency and accountability.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Deewans,The Right to Information Act,2005,Indian Law House Cannaught
Place,New Delhi,Edition2010
2. Malik Pal Krishna, Right to Information and Protection to Whistle
blowers,Allahabad Law Agency,2nd Edition
3. Ray Sinha SK,Right to Information Act,2005,Vinod Publications(P)Ltd
4. Sridhar Madabhushi,RTI USE AND ABUSE,Allahabad Law Agency,1st
Edition

WEBLIOGRAPHY
1. http://aarf.asia/download.php?filename=vWNlCX6qdJWkOsL.pdf&new=
2. https://blog.forumias.com/page/answered-discuss-salient-features-of-rti-act-
2005-what-are-various-issues-and-loopholes-in-rti-act
3. http://aarf.asia/download.php?filename=vWNlCX6qdJWkOsL.pdf&new=
4. http://docs.manupatra.in/newsline/articles/Upload/AC9CD2C7-B8AD-
4C5A-B910-3751BFE5CB28.pdf
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