On the 25th of July, the Rajya Sabha approved the Right To Information (RTI) Amendment Bill 2019.
On the 22nd of July, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tabled the RTI Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
According to the new amendment, the Bill allows the Central Government to decide the tenure, salary and allowances of Information Commissioners of the Centre and States in India.
However, the opposition Indian National Congress (INC) was against the Bill and called it ‘RTI Elimination Bill’ as they believed the Bill is against the Constitution of India.
Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the All India Congress Committee (AICC,) said, “It is a matter of utmost concern that the Central Government is hell-bent on completely subverting the historic Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.” She further added, “This law, prepared after widespread consultations and passed unanimously by parliament, now stands on (the) brink of extinction.”
On the 25th of July, the Rajya Sabha members allowed the Central Government to introduce the changes in the existing RTI Act 2005.
According to the new Bill, the appointment of any official and its tenure will be decided by the Central Government. The Central Government will also control the salaries of officials such as Commissioners and officers in states across India.
Before the RTI Bill was passed, the INC opposed it and asked the members to send the RTI Bill to the Select Committee for scrutiny. The decision to send to the Committee which was said to be decided by the votes. Later, the proposal was turned out with a majority of 117 votes, as 117 votes were against the motion, whereas 75 were in favour of it.
The RTI Amendment Bill 2019, was passed through a voice vote, as the opposition benches were empty after the MPs of the opposition parties walked out of the Sabha.
Stay tuned for further updates.
