Right to Know

Overview: 

The Maharashtra government has issued a government resolution allowing citizens to inspect records in district-level offices and local bodies across the state under the Right To Information (RTI) for two hours every Monday. 

Objectives:

• To smoothen access to information.
• To help curb the rising number of pending appeals with the Maharashtra State Information Commission.
• To oversee denying or withholding information. 

About the RTI Act:

The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense.

• Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen of India may request information from a “public authority” (a body of Government or “instrumentality of State”) which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days.
• The Act also requires every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.
• Information disclosure in India is restricted by the Official Secrets Act 1923 and various other special laws. 

Sources: the hindu.