Accelerating “Right to Information” in India

Accelerating “Right to Information” in India

The RTI Act in India can bring about a total transformation in government transparency. However, the sublime vision of RTI needs to be matched with superior execution of the Act for this to happen. The hurdles in execution can be countered in
a gradual manner with an alternating “push” and “pull” strategy. Starting with like-minded stakeholders, more and more people can be roped in by demonstrating the benefits of RTI for each of the stakeholders. Eventually, our vision for increased transparency being paramount, a strong “push” strategy will be needed from time to time for the desired outcome.

RTI needs to be implemented effectively and not just as a process for compliance. It must result in exponential growth in RTI queries, less appeals and complaints, and efficient government systems with inherent information sharing and fast turnaround time for queries. These will be sure signs of change in the country with people becoming more aware and government more responsive.

Transforming Governance

“The real Swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few, but by the acquisition of capacity by all to resist authority when abused” . When Mahatma Gandhi said this, he may not have imagined that one day India will have to make a law to empower people for something as basic as seeking information about the development of the country. The need for the government to pass a law in Parliament in 2005, giving a constitutional right to citizens to information, may be termed as both transformational and shameful at the same time. What needs to be seen now is how effectively this mandate can actually empower people to make governance more answerable and transparent.

The Right to Information Act in India has had a successful beginning. The Public Authorities (PAs), namely the Government Organizations at the Center and in States, the Public Information Officers (PIOs), the Government Organization Appellate, State Information Commissions (SICs) and the Central Information Commission (CIC) are all in place and functional. Citizens are seeking information through RTI requests and PIOs are continuously busy in responding to them.

However, the success so far has been in implementation of the “process” defined in the RTI Act. In order to conform to the statutory requirements of the RTI Act, PAs have established an “RTI Cell” and have published their RTI procedures on their website. As a result, they have completed the “process”. What most PAs have chosen not to focus on is the convenience and effectiveness of the RTI program from the citizen’s standpoint. In fact, the resistance to disclose information is so prevalent that several “RTI Activists” have mushroomed across the country to act on behalf of citizens. The nadir of the “RTI environment” today is such that citizens and activists are being openly threatened for seeking information, thereby indicating hidden skeletons in the government’s closet.

If India is to meet its aspirations of true inclusive growth, the focus on economic growth needs to be supplemented with a strong democracy, the foundation of which is empowered people and maturing society. Governance is a critical ingredient in this. For people to vote the right government, the government needs to become transparent, which in turn will make them accountable. Therefore, an initiative like the RTI Act is not merely to seek data and ensure process compliance but has to ultimately transform our governance. The method and the approach used must be unique because, ironically, the “evaders” of RTI belong to the same group that has created the law.

RTI can be termed truly successful only if it becomes “effective” in the true spirit of the Act…

o When there is easy and widespread access for filing RTI queries
o When the masses are aware of the course and recourse they are entitled to
o When the process becomes so easy that the poor and illiterate can also participate
o When a PA can be challenged, but not the citizen who is seeking information
o When all RTI queries can be tracked to completion with full accountability
o When analysis of RTI queries can be done for improvement of governance
o When PAs become proactive in sharing information without an RTI query
o When transparency becomes visible in government, not just in the RTI process
o When transparency in governance in India is recognized internationally

For anyone to have the wherewithal to implement RTI in letter and spirit across the country is a daunting task. But the benefits such an implementation will bring to the public and to the overall governance of the country are so compelling that the investment of time, effort and resources may be just worth it.

Geographic, demographic and bureaucratic challenges have to be considered, and operational issues have to be addressed. A piecemeal approach will definitely not work, nor will lack of vision and planning. RTI can best be pproached as a long term roadmap of change with several planned steps and milestones in between. Process and technology could become strong enablers for proliferation and effectiveness, with inherent transparency built into their deployment.

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