Introduction:

India’s transparency law in India i.e. Right to Information is one of the most powerful legislation that was enacted on 12 October 2005. Although the need for RTI was triggered much earlier it was only in the 1990 that the struggle for demanding this legislation really took off.

What is a Transparency?

There is no commonly agreed definition of transparency, but there is a general consensus that it relates to the right to know and public access to information. In a broad sense, transparency is about: how much access to intentionally-held information citizens are entitled to; the scope, accuracy and timeliness of this information; and what citizens can do if “insiders” are not sufficiently forthcoming in providing such access.

What constitute Information?

Section 2(f) of RTI Act defines ‘information’ as any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advice, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.
Wherein ‘record’ according to section 2(i) includes-
-Any document, manuscript and file
-Any microfilm, microfiche and facsimile copy of a document
-Any reproduction of image or images embodied in such microfilm
-Any other material produced by a computer or any other device.

What is Right to Information?

As per Section 2(i) ‘right to information’ means the right to information accessible under this Act which is held by or under the control of any public authority and includes the right to-
i. Inspection of work, documents, records
ii. Taking notes, extracts, or certified
copies of documents or records
iii. Taking certified samples of material
iv. Obtaining information in the form of
diskettes, floppies, tapes, video
cassettes or in any other electronic mode
or through printouts where such
information is stored in a computer or in
any other device.

Benefits of Transparency:

1. Democracy, accountability and participation:

Absence of, or inaccessibility to, information often creates a sense of disempowerment, mistrust and frustration. The International Human Rights NGO Article 19 has described information as “the oxygen of democracy” while the UNDP Human Development Report 2002 describes informed debate as the “lifeblood of democracies”.

Information by itself is not power, but it is an essential first step in the exercise of political and economic power.
The public is only able to truly participate in the democratic process when they have information about the activities and policies of government, and when people can see what benefits and services they are entitled to and whether they are receiving what should be expected.
Knowledge of what the state and other institutions do is fundamental to the power of people to hold them to account and improve the way in which they work. Absence of, or inaccessibility to, information often creates a sense of disempowerment, mistrust and frustration. On the other hand, access to relevant, up-to-date information can create a basis for natural exchange, allowing both official and the public to better access decisions taken and policies implemented.

2. Good governance:

Transparency is an important principle of good governance since a degree of clarity and openness about how decisions are taken can help to build the capacity of the poor and or marginalised to play a role in policy formulation and implementation; to influence these decisions that affect their lives; and to encourage decisions and policy-maker to exercise their power for the greater good.

3. Increased efficiency and effectiveness:

Greater transparency can also bring benefits to government themselves, directly or indirectly. Therefore, transparency is also considered to be a key component of public policy and efficiency.


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URL : http://www.legalraj.com

Blog ID : 247324

Category : Law

Date Added : 5-11-2019

Tags : transparency | demanding

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