The Lok Sabha had passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on 22nd July and Rajya Sabha on 25th July 2019. In this amendment, it is proposed to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 so as to provide that the term of office of, and the salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of, the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners and the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioners, shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
What is RTI Act?
Under the RTI Act, 2005, Public Authorities are required to make disclosures on various aspects of their structure and functioning. This includes (i) disclosure on their organization, functions, and structure, (ii) powers and duties of its officers and employees, and (iii) financial information.
The intent behind the enactment of the Act is to promote transparency and accountability in the working of Public Authorities.
The 2005 Act was enacted during the first Congress-led government UPA government. According to the activists, the efficacy of the RTI Act, allowing any Indian to seek information from any authority on the payment of Rs 10
Who is included in the ambit of ‘Public Authorities’?
‘Public Authorities’ include bodies of self-government established under the Constitution, or under any law or government notification. For instance, these include Ministries, public sector undertakings, and regulators. It also includes any entities owned, controlled or substantially financed and non-government organizations substantially financed directly or indirectly by funds provided by the government.
Changes in RTI
These are some before and after the amendment changes
1) Term
Before
The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) (at the central and state level) will hold office for a term of five years.
After
The Bill removes this provision and states that the central government will notify the term of office for the CIC and the ICs.
2) Salary
Before
The salary of the CIC and ICs (at the central level) will be equivalent to the salary paid to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, respectively.
Similarly, the salary of the CIC and ICs (at the state level) will be equivalent to the salary paid to the Election Commissioners and the Chief Secretary to the state government, respectively.
After
The Bill removes these provisions and states that the salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the central and state CIC and ICs will be determined by the central government.
3) Deductions in Salary
Before
The Act states that at the time of the appointment of the CIC and ICs (at the central and state level) if they are receiving a pension or any other retirement benefits for previous government service, their salaries will be reduced by an amount equal to the pension.
Previous government service includes service under (i) the central government, (ii) state government, (iii) corporation established under a central or state law, and (iv) company-owned or controlled by the central or state government.
After
The Bill removes these provisions.
Other features added
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that ‘Mobile App’ was brought by the Government to enable the citizens to file RTI any time. He added that in the last five years, most of the information is available in the public domain.
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