By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee held a press conference at its state headquarters in Bhopal. District Congress President (City) Praveen Saxena, RTI Cell Chairman Puneet Tandon, and State Congress Spokesperson Mithun Ahirwar addressed the media, recalling the significance of the landmark law enacted under the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi’s visionary leadership on 12 October 2005.
The Congress leaders stated that the RTI Act was the first pillar of the UPA’s rights-based governance agenda, which also introduced landmark legislations such as MGNREGA (2005), Forest Rights Act (2006), Right to Education (2009), Land Acquisition Act (2013) and National Food Security Act (2013). The RTI Act, they said, empowered citizens by ensuring access to public information and promoting transparency and accountability in governance.
However, they alleged that since 2014, the RTI framework has been steadily undermined. The 2019 amendments curtailed the independence of information commissions by allowing the central government to determine their tenure and service conditions. Furthermore, the 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act expanded the definition of “personal information”, restricting disclosures even when in public interest.
The Congress expressed grave concern over prolonged vacancies in information commissions, citing over 4 lakh pending appeals nationwide. They also highlighted attacks on RTI activists such as Shahla Masood and Satish Shetty, noting that the Whistleblower Protection Act remains unimplemented.
The party demanded restoration of the commissions’ autonomy, review of restrictive provisions in the DPDP Act, immediate filling of vacancies, public reporting of disposal rates, and enforcement of whistleblower protections.
“RTI is not merely a law but a cornerstone of citizens’ empowerment,” the Congress declared, reaffirming its commitment to safeguard the people’s right to question and seek accountability.
