Information Bill gets approval of Parliament

Parliament today approved a bill providing citizens the statutory right to access official information. The Freedom of Information Bill, whi...

Parliament today approved a bill providing citizens the statutory right to access official information. The Freedom of Information Bill, which had earlier been passed by Lok Sabha, was passed by Rajya Sabha by a voice vote.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha before the House passed the Bill, Minister of State for Personnel Vasundhara Raje Scindia said that in this age of information technology, openness in the Government’s functioning was long overdue.

The Bill empowers citizens with powers to seek information on Government’s functioning. Scindia said the Government proposes to amend service rules to insert a clause of punishment for erring officials.

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While members hailed the Bill, there were a note of caution from Fali S. Nariman, nominated member and a Constitutional expert. He warned the Government against the unmanageable problems that could crop from the implementation of the Bill. He said the right of inspection that the Bill gives to citizens would increase the work pressure on officials and create problems about security of documents.

‘‘This (law) is fine in a small country and not in India where everyone suspects the other. And where good governance is missing. I visualise grave apprehensions in the implementation of this law in India,’’ Nariman said.

Ram Jethmalani, however, said the Bill was a landmark in Indian democracy as it had more advanced features than the American law that was one of the first to be enacted.

Scindia said the implementation of the Bill would be worked out gradually as ‘‘we gain experience’’.