Letter: Dear Sir/ Maám, Sub: Request to not support an Amendment to the RTI Act According to media reports, DoPT has cleared the proposed amendments to the Right to Information Act 2005. The government may introduce the Bill in the monsoon session and push for its passage. We, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), on behalf of the citizens of India, urge you to not support such a bill if introduced in the Parliament. By not supporting this bill, you will be supporting the citizens of the country, and will become an advocate of transparency and accountability. Right to Information Act has been hailed as landmark legislation since its enactment, and the government that passed this legislation has claimed, and is believed, to be an advocate of transparency. Bringing political parties under the purview of the RTI Act is merely a step forward in the same direction to ensure accountability by all political platforms to the citizens of India. The suspicion that this may be detrimental to the internal functioning and strategies of the political parties is completely misplaced. On the contrary, lack of information about the political parties leads to disconnect between the parties and the common man. Bringing political parties under RTI will help bridge that gap and the common man will be able to engage with the parties. The amendment to the RTI Act, if passed, will add substantially to the already widespread resentment across masses and widen the distrust between citizens and the leaders. We, at ADR and NEW, a non-partisan, non-political, reformist campaign working towards Electoral and Political Reforms, believe that your vote is vital to decide the fate of transparency in Indian governance. We are sure you will consider the public opinion in this regard and take the right step forward. Find herewith attached endorsement signatures sent by our partners across India. Thank you. Regards, National Election Watch Members -- Association for Democratic Reforms “Kiwanis Centre”, 4th Floor, B-35, Qutub Institutional Area (Near Rockland Hospital) New Delhi-110 016 M: +91 8010394248 T: +91 11 41654200/01/02/03 F: 011 4609 4248
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 02:53:02 +0000
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