Manmohan Singh was committed to idea of accountability and transparency: RTI activists

The implementation of the Right to Information Act by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh marked a transformative shift in India’s governance, moving from a culture of state secrecy to one of citizen empowerment. Although Singh initially harbored bureaucratic apprehensions regarding the Act’s impact and feared excessive pressure on officials, he remained steadfastly committed to the principles of accountability and transparency. This leadership enabled the Act to fundamentally alter the relationship between the state and its citizens, establishing a new era where information access became a tool for democratic participation rather than a privilege. The legislation’s relevance to open data lies in its redistribution of power, forcing government institutions to disclose information and making them answerable to public scrutiny. By mandating proactive disclosure and social audits, particularly within welfare schemes, the Act ensured that transparency was not just an abstract ideal but a practical mechanism for realizing rights. This framework allowed citizens to monitor government functioning effectively, turning passive voters into active participants who could verify service delivery and expose inefficiencies, thereby strengthening the democratic fabric through informed engagement. Despite periodic attempts to weaken the Act’s scope through amendments, strong civil society resistance preserved its integrity during Singh’s tenure. The guidelines developed under his leadership for proactive information disclosure have since gained legal endorsement, reinforcing the necessity of open data systems in modern governance. This legacy underscores the critical role of political will in sustaining transparency mechanisms, demonstrating that open data is essential for maintaining trust between the government and the people, and preventing the reassertion of opaque bureaucratic practices.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Published on 2024-12-28

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