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Transparency is relatively new to Government functioning in India.

Several new bills have been introduced that can make the Government more transparent and accountable.

The biggest step to change this has been the Right to Information Act.

It enabled monitoring and accountability for every citizen as a right.

RTI Act was brought into effect in 2005.

Overrides the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Applicable to all public authorities owned, controlled or substantially funded by the Government.

Empowers citizens to:

Ask any question from the Government or seek any


information

Take copies of any Government documents Inspect any Government documents and works Information to be made available between 30 to 35 days

and within 48 hours when pertaining to life and liberty

Stockholm-based International Institute of Democracy and

Electoral Assistance (IDEA) shows that India is one among a


mere 10% of countries in the world to allow either political parties or candidates to receive anonymous donations.

India allows individual candidates to receive anonymous


donations while parties cannot. In India, this limit of allowed anonymity is set at Rs 20,000.

CIC held Six national parties - Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI(M), CPI
and BSP under the purview of RTI. They have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government.

On

1st

August

2013,

the

Union

Cabinet

approved

draft

amendments to the RTI Act that would nullify an order of the CIC bringing the six national political parties under the orbit of the Act.

It was introduced on August 12 in Lok Sabha. A public authority will be defined as those receiving governmental funding "above 51 per cent," in place of the present usage of "substantial funding."

Political parties claim that the Representation of the People Act and the Income Tax Act provide sufficient transparency regarding financial aspects of political parties

The most significant weakness lies in the enforcement and implementation of these laws and regulation. No Right to Information in the Private Sector. Offices meant to service information claims have not been adequately staffed Roughly 30% of the posts for information

commissioners in states are lying vacant .

No proactive disclosure of information.

People seeking information under RTI have been identified and harassed, attacked or killed.

Satish Shetty who exposed many land scams in Maharashtra was killed by unknown attackers.

Congress member and RTI activist Vasudeva Adiga who exposed many wrongdoings in various quarters was kidnapped and brutally killed in January 2013.

These countless murders bring fear to people and stop them from

revealing any secrets.

The Union rural development ministry is working on a protocol that will protect activists who work to expose corruption using RTI Act.

Satyendra Dubey (1973-2003) was a project director at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) Corridor Project-5968 km, at an overall cost more than USD 10 billion. The contracted firm, Larsen and Toubro, had been subcontracting the actual work to smaller low-technology groups, controlled by the local mafia.

Dubey wrote directly to the Prime Minister, detailing the

financial and contractual irregularities in the project.

Later he was shot dead by unknown enemies.

Apart from RTI, several other efforts at improving transparency

have been initiated at several levels of the Government.

National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy: To increase accessibility and easier sharing of non-sensitive data among registered users for their scientific, economic and social

developmental purposes.

The Whistleblowers Bill: In 2004, in response to a petition filed after the murder of Satyendra Dubey, the Supreme Court directed a mechanism to be put in place for acting on complaints from whistleblowers till a law is enacted.

Public Procurement Bill : The draft Bill seeks to establish the procedure for bid process in a consolidated place.

Transparency International Corruption perception index consistent toppers

Least corruption

law enforcement, public participation and transparency mechanisms strong commitment to anti-corruption by political leaders freedom of the press is positively correlated with control of corruption in well established democracies

high GDP per capita, low inequality rates, literacy rates close to 100 %, and prioritise human right issues(gender equality, freedom of information) they all perform well in terms of government openness and effectiveness.

disclosure of budget information closes the door to waste and misappropriation of public funds Codes of conduct for public servants Legal framework criminalising a wide range of corruption related abuses and an independent and efficient judiciary

Openness and accountability


Public access to documents The Ombudsman

Dualism
Small ministries & large agencies

A Decentralized Unitary State


Regional and local competences Local & Regional Right of Taxation

There are indeed a number of initiatives that have been taken to promote transparency for inclusive governance. Technology is an important enabler for effective Governance. Traditional and social media has transformed how citizens access and share information. But we are yet to achieve transparency in all levels and miles to go

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