The Right to Information Act was implemented on 12th October, 2005 and it started a new era of transparency in the administration. About 50 lakh RTI applications are being made every year. This shows that people have given very much importance to this law. Although many flaws have emerged in its implementation, but still the general public sees a ray of hope in it.
Evaluation of Right to Information Act is:-
Although the Right to Information Act has given rise to a culture of questioning, in most cases proper information is not provided which makes people to appeal further.
In some cases, people are not given information even within a fixed period of 30 days, which makes people frustrated.
Most organizations in the country have been included as 'Public Authority' under this Act, but there are still many organizations which are required to be included under the definition of 'Public Authority'.
Although under the Right to Information Act, some officers have shown outstanding work and provided proper information on time, but most bureaucrats still avoid giving information by using the 'Official Secrets Act'.
Has the Right to Information Act achieved its objective?
It is evident from the above assessment that the Right to Information Act has only partially achieved its purpose.
The most prominent reason for this is the lack of political will in implementing it and the reduction in behavioral changes in the authorities.
Important suggestions for improving the Right to Information Act:-
Awareness should be spread about the Right to Information Act so that it can be used in more and more numbers.
The suggestions given by the Nolan Committee should be implemented. It is known that the Nolan Committee has said in its recommendation that bureaucrats should be provided with ethical values as well as technical training.
Above all, the Central Information Commission needs to be powerful so that its orders can be implemented and the national political parties can be brought under the Right to Information Act.
Conclusion:
It can be concluded that the achievement of the Right to Information Act has been mixed in 12 years. There are several types of shortcomings in its implementation but they can be overcome by implementing the above mentioned suggestions.
