Centre tries to assuage fears on RTI amendment
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has said the bill does not compromise the autonomy of information commissions.
The Lok Sabha passed a bill amending the RTI Act on Monday amid protests by the Opposition parties, which allege that it is an attempt to defang the law.
Activists across the country had been protesting the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to give the government powers to fix salaries, tenures and other terms and conditions of employment of information commissioners.
They see it as an attempt by the Centre to control state information commissions.
But Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has said the bill does not compromise the autonomy of information commissions.
He asserted that the central government was fully committed to maintaining transparency and free flow of communication.