New Delhi: Even as Law Minister Kapil Sibal proposed a new law to fight fixing in sports, his Cabinet colleagues Rajiv Shukla and Ajay Maken spoke in two different voices over the exemption of BCCI from the Right to Information Act. Union Minister Ajay Maken, who earlier held the sports portfolio, wants the BCCI brought under the Right to Information Act.
He tweeted, "BCCI should agree to come under RTI. Any organisation entrusted with job of selecting a National Team can not call itself a Private Body!"
But Maken's call was rejected by his Cabinet colleague and IPL chief Rajiv Shukla. "A private body cannot be brought under RTI. Bringing BCCI under RTI will not check spot-fixing," Shukla said.
Maken, who holds Housing portfolio at present, said the Centre has already taken a stand before Central Information Commission (CIC) that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should be under the ambit of the Information law. During his stint in the Sports Ministry, Maken had tried to bring transparency in sports bodies through the Sports Bill....
more
07:56 AM, May 20, 2013
In 'Accidental India: A History of the Nation's Passage through Crisis and Change', noted journalist-analyst, Shankkar Aiyar, examines India's ascent through the paradigm of seven game changers: the economic liberalization of 1991, the Green Revolution of the sixties, the nationalization of banks in 1969, Operation Flood in the seventies, the mid-day meal scheme of 1982, the software revolution of the nineties, and the passing of the Right to Information Act...
03:27 PM, Apr 09, 2013
Shailaja Chandra talks about how the Right to Information Act, which is a simple law and has helped countless people, has become embroiled in controversy. ...
05:04 PM, Jan 22, 2013
New Delhi: Ten main political parties of the country had a whopping Rs 2,490 crore of tax-exempted income in the last five years, according to information from the Income Tax department through an RTI plea. Of this the ruling Congress and the main Opposition party BJP have cornered more than 80 per cent. The figures of political parties' income in this period received under the RTI does not include the...
06:03 PM, Dec 02, 2012
New Delhi: The proposal to withdraw the amendments proposed to the Right to Information Act in 2006 has been accepted in the Cabinet meeting on Thursday. With the proposed amendments dropped, the Right to Information Act will not be diluted much to the delight of social activists. The move came after Congress President Sonia Gandhi opposed the amendments. The amendment suggested was that the government exempts file notings from disclosure...
12:13 PM, Nov 01, 2012
New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has forced the Centre to drop its plan to dilute the Right To Information Act and the announcement is likely to be made in Thursday's Cabinet meeting. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet his new cabinet on Thursday for the first time since Sunday's reshuffle. The government plans to drop a series of amendments that were aimed at diluting and weakening the RTI Act....
07:29 AM, Nov 01, 2012
New Delhi: The government will not go for amendments proposed to the Right to Information Act as mooted in July 2006, according to sources. The amendment suggested was that the government exempts file notings from disclosure except for development and social issues. The amendment also suggested that the exam selection process be exempted from the RTI ambit. The amendments were seen as dilution of the RTI Act and Congress President...
04:02 PM, Oct 31, 2012
New Delhi: Outgoing Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has warned that the Right to Information Act is under threat and might become irrelevant in the next five years. Speaking to CNN-IBN, Gandhi said that the threats come from various sections. "The RTI Act is growing very well across the country, but there are serious threats to it," he said. He said that the government officials tend to get uncomfortable as the...
08:47 AM, Jul 02, 2012
Mumbai: Mumbai's municipal schools are in a dismal state. An RTI obtained by CNN-IBN reveals a high dropout rate, a dearth of teachers, and rampant mismanagement, which are just some of the problems plaguing the system. The elections to control the country's richest civic corporation Brihan Mumbai Corporation (BMC), are just a month away, but questions raised about municipal education in Mumbai have thrown up disturbing answers. The BMC's own...
08:50 AM, Jan 17, 2012
On Board PM's Special Aircraft: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday denied suggestions that he had pitched for dilution of Right to Information Act. He maintained that he had never said that there should be any dilution of the Act. "There are certain ways in which things can be done. All I said is that we should reflect how to achieve in totality the purposes for which RTI was set...
11:42 PM, Oct 19, 2011
New Delhi: The Prime Minister has lauded the Right To Information Act calling it crucial in exposing authorities and their work which otherwise remain hidden from the public while clarifying that the Government is against any dilution in the Act. "RTI is now more extensively and more effectively used to bring into public face, many areas of work of public authority which would otherwise remain hidden from public domain," Prime...
10:54 AM, Oct 14, 2011
Kutch: Gujarat Right To Information (RTI) activist Jabbardan Gadhvi had sought information on alleged irregularities in cattle grazing in the Rapar taluka of Kutch district. Earlier this week, the 45-year-old RTI activist set himself ablaze in the compound of the Mamlatdar's office after having received constant threats from the Mamlatdar, Talati and the PSI of Rapar. Gadhvi's family, still in shock, wonders why no body stepped in to stop Gadhvi....
07:02 AM, Feb 26, 2011
Fatehabad: A village Sarpanch in Fatehabad in Haryana allegedly crushed a woman to death by mowing her down with his vehicle. He did this because her father-in-law had dared to file a Right to Information application exposing a pension fraud. The victim, Sonu, died and her father-in-law who tried to save her was critically injured. This was not the first time the Sarpanch had allegedly attacked them. Locals say that...
12:37 PM, Feb 13, 2011
New Delhi: Ram Vilas, 32, a small-time shopkeeper in a village in Bihar, now knows the power of the Right To Information (RTI) Act after he used it successfully to get the provident fund money of his ailing retired father, an ex-civic employee. A school drop out, Ram Vilas sought help from one of his former classmates, who is working in a bank, to get an RTI application filed. The...
05:40 PM, Oct 11, 2010
It is learnt that Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre had been carrying out drug trials on 151 victims. ...
08:40 AM, Jun 17, 2010
DMK leader's ministry replies to RTI plea, say PMO knew of Maldives holiday. ...
11:36 AM, May 10, 2010
Survey finds 10 responses to 50,000 requests are satisfactory. ...
06:35 PM, Oct 23, 2009
Many activists still say the Act is a non-starter in the state. ...
12:50 PM, Oct 09, 2009
Wealth tells you how to use Right to Information Act to get your money. ...
11:22 AM, Oct 16, 2008
The student used RTI to get a copy of the answer sheet of English exam. ...
08:23 AM, Aug 08, 2008
