| Extending scope of RTI Act to private sector |
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THE TIMES OF INDIA Times House 7 Bahadurshah Zafar Marg New Delhi 110002
Sir It refers to the news ‘CIC: Stock exchanges under RTI’ (TOI 11.06.2007) on welcome full-bench decision of Central Information Commission holding stock-exchanges to be under purview of ‘Right-To-Information Act’. RTI act has been a great success in creating fear-psychology amongst the erring officers of public-authority and having a powerful impact on checking corruption and misconduct in public authorities even at the very initial stage of filing first RTI petition with Public Information Officers of public-authorities covered under the Act. But since private sector has acquired a dominating role in day-to-day life of general public with even earlier monopolised public sectors like communication, air-travel, banking, power-distribution etc acquiring major share as compared to public-sector, India should follow South Africa in extending scope of RTI Act to private sector. Evils of ‘free economy’ can be largely overcome by initiating such a step.
SUBHASH C. AGRAWAL (Guinness Record Holder for most letters in newspapers) E-mail subhashmadhu@sify.com |