President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has cleared the Right to Information Bill – expected to make governance more transparent and accountable.
The President gave his assent to the Bill earlier this week. A notification will be issued by the Law ministry. The Bill entitles every citizen to have access to information controlled by the public authorities. It also covers state authorities and NGOs substantially funded by the government.
The Bill makes it obligatory for every public authority to provide information and maintain records about its operations. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha last month. The earlier Freedom of Information Act, 2002 – which did not prove very effective – has been repealed.
The new legislation lays down simple, time-bound and inexpensive procedure for accessing information and imposes stringent penalties for hampering its flow.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen on seeing the Bill through. He had told Parliament that the legislation would ensure that the benefits of growth reach all sections, corruption is eliminated and the concerns of the common man are at the heart of all processes of governance.
The legislation also imposes obligations on the agencies to disclose information suo motu, thus reducing the cost of access. An Information Commissioner, responsible for the flow of information, would now be selected by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a minister nominated by the PM.
Information Commissions would also be set up in states and Union Territories. The State Chief Information Commissioner heading these panels would be assisted by a maximum of 10 State Information Commissioners.
Around Rs 65 crore per annum would be spent on this count. This is apart from the expenditure on accommodation, office equipment, vehicles, and other needs of these commissions.
While some clauses of the legislation would come into force with immediate effect, others would become operational within 120 days.
