The government is committed to ensure transparency and take various various steps to ensure easy and accountable governance, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday.
Speaking to a delegation of 'Right to Information Assessment & Advocacy Group', an organisation of RTI activists, Singh said that transparency is a part and parcel of the "good governance" concept.
Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said that government is committed to ensure transparency in governance.
He said several important measures have been adopted to make the governance easy and more accountable during the last six months.
Singh also referred to a recent decision to promote self-attested affidavit which eliminates the requirement for attestation by gazetted officer, notary or a similar other authority.
In addition, all the major government decisions are now being uploaded on the website, he said.
Singh said that while there are separate cells or divisions to handle RTI complaints in different departments of central government, the state governments are also being encouraged to adopt the transparency law in its most effective form.
The leaders of the delegation pointed out some of the issues, like backlog of complaints and appeals in Information Commissions, poor implementation of Section-4 of the RTI Act (on suo motu disclosure by public authorities) and low level of public awareness about the transparency law, especially in rural areas, which require attention of the government.
The Minister gave the delegation a patient hearing and said that while the government is sincere in its endeavour, the efforts of public-spirited activists are also of a great help in such matters.
The delegation comprised of activists Anjali Bhardwaj, Amrita Johri and Nikhil Dey.
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