PM against blanket extension of RTI Act

Says RTI should not be used for running down public authorities

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that a blanket extension of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to the entities set up in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode may discourage private companies to enter into partnership with the public sector enterprises and called for finding a way forward to handle this concern.

Pointing out that how much information should entities set up in the PPP be obliged to disclose under the RTI Act was an issue, he also stressed that a blanket exclusion on the other hand may harm the cause of accountability of public officials.

Addressing the 7th annual convention of Information Commissioners in the capital, Prime Minister Singh also raised concerns about the way RTI was being used currently, which clearly indicated to the discomfort of the government which itself had introduced this critical reform to weed out corruption and bring in transparency in the functioning of the public authorities.

“This important legislation should not be only about criticizing, ridiculing, and running down public authorities,” he said.

There were concerns about frivolous and vexatious use of the Act in demanding information the disclosure of which cannot possibly serve any public purpose, said Singh.

The Prime Minister said further that concerns had also been raised regarding possible infringement of personal privacy while providing information under the RTI Act.

“There is a fine balance required to be maintained between the Right to information and the right to privacy, which stems out of the Fundamental Right to Life and liberty,” said Singh, adding that the issue of a separate legislation on privacy is under consideration of an expert group under Justice A P Shah.

The Prime Minister re-iterated that the RTI Act was one of the many steps that the government had taken for strengthening the institutional architecture for curbing corruption, enhancing transparency and accountability in public administration and improving delivery of services to the people.

Other important legislations that were proposed include the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, the Time-bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of Grievances Bill and the Electronic Delivery of Services Bill, which were currently under consideration of  Parliament.