International Right to Know Day: India ranks 4th on list of countries with strongest RTI laws

The number of countries with RTI laws has continued to climb, reaching 112 as of today. Mexico tops the list with best national level RTI law

GN Bureau | September 28, 2016


#RTI laws   #CLD   #right to information   #RTI   #International Right to Know Day  
International Right to Know Day: India ranks 4th on list of countries with strongest RTI laws
International Right to Know Day: India ranks 4th on list of countries with strongest RTI laws


September 28 is observed as the International Right to Know Day. This year, it marks five years since the launch of the RTI Rating, a comparative assessment of national legal frameworks for the right to information (RTI) which was developed and applied by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and Access Info Europe.

The number of countries with RTI laws has continued to climb, reaching 112 as of today.

According to an assessment made by the CLD, India and Sri Lanka are placed fourth and ninth respectively on the list of 112 countries with the strongest national level RTI laws. This is good news for South Asia.

Mexico, another developing country is rated with the best national level RTI law in on the planet. Recent amendments to the 2002 law have placed it at the top of the list.

September 28, has now been recognised officially by UNESCO, under the title International Day for Universal Access to Information. And one of the indicators for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.10 will assess whether states have adopted and implemented RTI laws.

The popular myth - "RTI is meant for developed countries while developing countries have other urgent issues of poverty, hunger, poor levels of basic services like education and health" stands disproved once again.

The full results of the RTI Rating are available at: www.RTI-Rating.org.
 

Comments

 

Other News

The women India doesn`t count enough

She runs a tailoring shop from a single room in her house. Every morning she stitches school uniforms, answers queries on WhatsApp, collects payments through UPI and orders fabric online. Officially, she still belongs to India`s informal economy. Yet her enterprise is no longer disconnected from the formal

“Cancer is just a mind game”

Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant, a Padma Shri awardee, inspired audiences for decades through her mastery of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. But it was her journey through cancer that taught some of life`s most powerful lessons in courage and resilience.

Why Swami Vivekananda is the pathfinder for our times

Swami Vivekananda for Our Times  Edited and compiled by Rajiv Sikri, with Introduction by S. Gurumurthy Rupa Publications, 552 pages, Rs 695  

Five ways to realise the potential of India’s handicraft and handloom sector

India`s economic ambitions are increasingly defined by the industries of the future. Semiconductors, electronics, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing dominate policy conversations. Yet one of India`s largest employment-intensive sectors continues to occupy a surprisingly marginal place in ec

Beyond toilets: Why open defecation persists in rural India

Despite the awareness campaigns on sanitation across India, open defecation (OD) is practised openly and widely in both rural and urban areas. Research shows that rural respondents are well aware of the negative impacts of OD, yet this awareness does not lead to toilet construction or use. In rural North I

What unpaid nation builders want from policymakers

The Supreme Court recently described homemakers as “nation builders” and fixed a notional monthly income of Rs 30,000 for them in motor accident compensation cases. The judgment was not about wages. It was about compensation. Yet it inadvertently raised a larger economic question: If a homemake





Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter