RTI on brink of extinction: Sonia

New Delhi: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the Centre is hell-bent on subverting the RTI Act which now stands on the “brink of extinction”, a day after Lok Sabha passed amendments to the Act amid strong opposition protests.
In a statement, she said it is clear that the present central government sees the RTI Act as a “nuisance” and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission.
“It is a matter of utmost concern that the central government is hell-bent on completely subverting the historic Right to Information Act, 2005. This law, prepared after widespread consultations and unanimously passed by Parliament, now stands at the brink of extinction,” she said in a statement.
Gandhi said, “Over the past decade and more, 60 lakh of our countrymen and women have used RTI and helped usher in a new culture of transparency and accountability administration at all levels”.
The foundations of our democracy have, as a result, been strengthened immeasurably, she said.
The weaker sections of our society have benefited greatly by the proactive use of RTI by activists and others. (PTI)