The Centre is all set to bring a new legislation on Right to Privacy which is under active consideration of an expert group headed by Justice A P Shah.
Addressing the 7th Annual Convention of Information Commissioners in New Delhi this morning,the Prime Minister said that the citizens' Right to know should definitely be circumscribed if disclosure of information encroaches upon someone's personal privacy.
Expressing concern on possible infringement of personal privacy while providing information under the RTI Act, Dr.Manmohan Singh said that it is a complicated question to draw the line. He expressed hope that the deliberations in the two day convention will result in useful recommendations for the new Bill on privacy.
Talking about the extent of information to be provided to a seeker, Dr.Singh said that blanket extension of the Act to bodies like public-private partnerships may discourage private enterprises to enter into the partnerships with the public sector while a blanket exclusion on the other hand may harm the cause of accountability of public officials.
Saying that there has been some confusion about the implications of the recent Supreme Court order regarding the composition of the Central and State Information Commissions, the Prime Minister informed that the government has decided to go in review before the Supreme Court in this matter.
Emphasising that costs associated with providing access to information have to be minimized, Dr.Singh said that this could be achieved with better training of employees, greater use of technology and proactive disclosure of the maximum possible amount of information.
Calling it a pointer to success of the RTI that only 4.5 per cent of the applications filed before central government authorities reach the Information Commissions for adjudication, the Prime Minister said that out of twenty thousand appeals and complaints disposed by the Central Information Commission every year on the average, only a couple of hundred cases a year have been challenged in the courts.
The Prime Minister reminded that RTI Act is one of the many steps that government has taken for stregthening the institutional architecture for curbing corruption, enhancing transparency and accountability in administration and improving delivery of services to the people.
He said that other important legislations that are proposed include the whistleblowers protection Bill, the time-bount delivery of goods and services and redressal of grievances Bill and the Electronic Delivery of Services Bill which are currently under the consideration of Parliament.
Dr.Singh said that a national data sharing and accessibility policy have also been put in place besides an initiative to facilitate direct cash transfer of government benefits to bank accounts of beneficiaries.
This would help in reducing leakages and wastages and also make it easier for citizens to avail of government assistance.
