NCPRI meets with the Prime Minister to demand that RTI Amendment Bill be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for public consultation Delhi, 19 August: Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Anjali Bhardwaj of the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) met with the Prime Minister, Sh. Manmohan Singh to hand over the petition, signed by over 1 lakh people, demanding that the government not amend the RTI Act without due process of public consultation. Since the RTI amendments bill has already been introduced in Parliament, a strong demand was made that such a contentious issue must go to the Standing Committee for a threadbare discussion. Responding to the NCPRI delegation, the PM stated although the Amendment bill is a property of the Parliament and the decision lies with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, he will convey this demand to his party. The PM said that the amendments are being brought in as there is unanimity across all political parties on amending the RTI law to remove political parties from the purview of the RTI act. The activists also urged the PM to ensure that accountability and grievance redress legislations like the Whistle Blower Protection Bill, Grievance Redress Bill and the Lokpal Bill- be taken up for debate and passage by Parliament. The PM expressed support for the Whistle Blower Protection Bill and Grievance Redress Bill and said that he will convey the urgency of these legislations to the concerned Minister. The PM said that the UPA is keen to move on the Lokpal Bill. The activists handed over three memorandums to the PM exhorting him: 1) Not to amend the RTI Act; 2) to have the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, Grievance Redress Bill and the Lokpal Bill passed in this session and 3) on social security pensions for the elderly to make it universal with immediate effect. On the Pension demand he said that the government was sympathetic and something would be done and resources found to make it happen. The memorandum submitted to the PM on the RTI amendments is here.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 17:29:51 +0000
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