RTI Amendment Bill may come up for discussion on Monday

NEW DELHI: A bill seeking to amend the RTI Act to shield political parties from providing information under the transparency law is scheduled to come up for discussion in Lok Sabha tomorrow.

The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2013 was introduced on August 12 in the Lower House by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V Narayanasamy.

Narayanasamy "to move that the Bill to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 be taken into consideration. Also to move that the Bill be passed," said the list of business for Lok Sabha tomorrow.

The RTI amendment bill could not be discussed on earlier occasions on August 23, 24, 26 and 29.

The Union Cabinet had last month cleared a proposal to amend the RTI Act to give immunity to political parties and negate a Central Information Commission (CIC) order to this effect.

The Cabinet's decision had come nearly two months after the Central Information Commission's order of bringing six national political parties -- Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP -- under the RTI Act.

The government has proposed an amendment in Section 2 of the Act, which defines public authority, to shield the political parties.

The proposed amendments, if accepted by Parliament, will make it clear that the definition of public authority shall not include any political party registered under the Representation of the People Act, officials said.

The CIC had in its order on June 3 held that the six national parties have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government and were required to appoint public information officers as they have the character of a public authority under the RTI Act.

The order had evoked sharp reactions from political parties, especially Congress which has been credited with bringing in the transparency law.

Many RTI activists have opposed the proposed amendments.