Question

right to information act is one of the weapon to control corruption write your opinion

Answer 1

internationally as Right to Know Day, highlighting the critical importance of people’s right to access information held by their governments. In India, following a nationwide campaign led by grassroots and civil society organizations, the government passed a landmark Right to Information Act in 2005. Since then, social activists, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens have effectively used the Act to tackle corruption and bring greater transparency and accountability in the government. Social activist Aruna Roy has described India’s RTI Act as “the most fundamental law this country has seen as it can be used from the local panchayat(a unit of local government) to parliament, from a nondescript village to posh Delhi, and from ration shops to the 2G scam.”



While the debate on corruption in India rages on, the RTI Act is fast emerging as an effective anti-corruption tool. Photo by Michelle Chang.

Last month, thousands of Indians remained glued to their television sets as veteran social activist and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare ended his 12-day fast. A stalwart of the RTI movement, the 74-year-old Gandhian’s campaign for a strong anti-corruption agency in the country, or Jan Lok Pal, galvanized tremendous public support with citizens coming out on the streets of Delhi, Bangalore, and other cities to voice their anger and discontent over mounting corruption in the country. While the debate on corruption in the country rages on, the RTI Act is fast emerging as an effective anti-corruption tool.

Right to Information laws, or “sunshine” laws as they are commonly called, grant citizens the legal right to access information held by their governments, bringing much-needed transparency in the otherwise opaque functioning of government. Globally, more than 80 countries have now enacted such laws, with the list growing each year. India’s RTI Act is internationally recognized as a strong and effective law. Over the last six years, the RTI has been used extensively by ordinary Indian citizens to demand a vast range of information from their government