Information Society Watch

January 18, 2008, Indian Express

The Official Secrets Act (OSA) which was seen to be the last bastion of harbouring corrupt practices by the administration is set to undergo a complete overhaul. The OSA will now be brought in conformity with the Right to Information Act to ensure transparency in its administration.

January 11, 2008, Indian Express

The Right to Information (RTI) Act in India has acted as a catalyst for the availability of information regarding the working of the government. In a significant ruling on an alleged corruption case in a private company, the Central Information Commission has decided that the government does not have the right to withhold information regardless of whether the organisation is public or private.

InfoChangeIndia

The article analyses the impact of community radio on the tribal communities in the Dangs district in Gujarat, which are one of the most marginalised and deprived sections of community. Aaykar, the community radio has had significant impact in detecting corruption in various government organizations and thus increasing awareness amongst the tribals regarding the availability and price of such government services.

December 26, 2007, Saumitra Mohan, Deccan Herald

The RTI Act in India was regarded as a watershed in area of increasing transparency in government. The article reviews how the RTI facility is faring two years after it had been introduced. While it is undeniable that the act has empowered the Indian citizen to gain insight into government activities and projects affecting them, the pace of RTI implementation across all government agencies still leaves a lot to be desired.

November 27, 2007, Press Trust of India

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has recommended to the Supreme Court that all records should be computerised, as under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This recommendation follows from a suggestion to furnish records in electronic form, which was made in an information plea from an RTI applicant requesting details of a petition filed with the court.

September 18, 2007, Arvind Kejriwal, The Times of India

Prominent Right to Information (RTI) campaigner and Magsasay Award Winner, Arvind Kejriwal focuses on the need to bring the judiciary within the ambit of the Right to Information Act. In this editorial, he argues that while the judiciary is indeed respected, it is extremely necessary the judiciary needs to be made accountable and the way to do this is through the RTI Act which currently does not cover the judiciary.

June 23, 2007, Deccan Herald

This news-piece highlights the fact that even after a year of it's enactment, the Right to Information Act has largely remained an urban phenomenon and awareness in rural areas is very low. Even in urban areas, while there have been success stories, the larger picture is one of lack of awareness on the part of government officials and citizens on the practical aspects of using the Act.

August 2006, Michael Gurstein and Parminder Jeet Singh, E-GovOnline.Net Magazine

In this article, the authors contend that the foremost challenge of the ""Right to Information” is that while such rights may have been translated into laws, the practice of enforcing such rights is one which in many contexts is out of the reach of those without considerable access to legal or financial resources. And it is those with the least resources who may have the most need to have access to such information.

March 13, 2006, Alok Prakash Putul, BBC News Service

Although the Right to Information (RTI) Act may theoretically give Indians the right to access information held by the government, the price of acquiring this information is often exorbitant.

2004, Aruna Roy

This is an unedited lecture by the head of Mazdoon Kisan Shakti Sangathan in which she stresses the importance of the right to information and knowledge. She emphasises that access to information and knowledge is the essence of democracy, without which it would be impossible to survive and to lead a life of dignity.