'RTI Act hasn't improved governance'

Research undertaken by PhD student shows sunshine law has not ensured better functioning of state agencies

According to a research undertaken by a PhD student, the RTI Act has not helped improve governance.
Saharsh Yadav (27), who is working on a thesis on Implementation and Impact of Right to Information Act on governance, said the outcome of the Act was not as expected. "We are yet to taste the fruits of this act," said Yadav, who has completed his master's degree on public administration from Vikram University, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.


Making a point: According to Saharsh Yadav, the Lokpal Bill is a good
option for the RTI Act. Pic/Vivek Sabnis

Yadav said about 98 per cent of the RTI applications were filed for individual grievance and just 2 per cent for institutional purposes and larger interest of the society. "This hardly helps to improve the government functioning all over," he said. "The RTI Act has its limitations. It has no provision for action by authorities. There is also a chance that government officials may provide irrelevant information. One month is too many days to send information to applicants."

He is working on the RTI Act under the guidance of Dr Nisha Vashishtha. Yadav has so far visited the city, Delhi and some cities in Madhya Pradhesh and is planning to visit Rajasthan and Hyderabad to get more information on the issue. He will submit his report by December 2011 and file the PhD paper by March 2012. "The RTI Act is good, but we need another option or an agency to look into corruption in the country," Yadav said. "The Lokpal Bill may be another option for the RTI Act."

City an RTI hub
Yadav met many RTI activists and government officials in the city. "The city is a hub for RTI activity in the country and many intellectuals are taking an active part," said Yadav. Vijay Kumbhar, an RTI Activist in the city, said that it was being used increasingly. "There has been slight impact on the government officials.

It has certainly put some pressure on them, but we still have a long way to go," he admitted. Shivaji Daundkar, RTI Act coordinator, PMC, said at least 10,522 RTI applications were filed in 2010. "Accountability has somewhat increased in the civic body," he said.

Pralhad Kachare, director, centre for public policy, YASHDA, said that the awareness level in the government servants is slow but steady. We have trained over 60,000 government officials in the RTI Act. There has been 20 to 30 per cent improvement, he said.

Other observations
> There are hardly any women RTI activists
> Number of RTI applications in Maharashtra in 2010: 5,48,987