New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil Monday said Right to Information (RTI) Act can be instrumental in bringing about improvement in public services, delivery systems and mechanisms but should be used with a deep sense of responsibility.
"For assessing deliverability, the citizens need information about how their government is functioning. RTI gives to each individual citizen the means to question and to get answers. The act has in a way created a virtual 'Parliament of People' where every citizen through a simple method can seek information from authorities," Patil said, inaugurating the 4th annual RTI convention here.
The two-day convention is organized by the Central Information Commission and its theme this year is "Strengthening Right to Information".
"Rights given under RTI Act are extensive and, therefore, it is important that there is a deep sense of responsibility while exercising them," she said, while adding that efforts should be made to ensure that the RTI option is known and exercised in rural areas and by the disadvantaged sections of society.
Minister of State for Personnel Prithviraj Chavan, who was also present on the occasion, said: "In the first four years of this law, the government has been ably supported by different stakeholders like the information seekers, civil society, media, the information commissioners and the information providers."
"It has helped achieve the aim of the government to inculcate a culture of transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority and to secure access to information to all its citizens," he added.
The RTI Act was passed by the central government in June 2005 after years of struggle by NGOs and civil society groups. It came into force October 12, 2005 and completed four years Monday.
"Our experience has now prepared us to attempt further strengthening of the RTI Act by initiating some legislative changes. These would be in the nature of making the RTI Act more user friendly, trying to put more information in the public domain and removing some legal infirmities," Chavan said.
The minister added that a consultation with the chief information commissioners and information commissioners from the centre and state commissions, has been planned for Oct 14 in which civil society organisations working in this field will also be involved in discussion stage.
CIC Wajahat Habibullah said that the RTI Act has given India a model democracy.
"Following the Indian law, some neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh have also moved towards freedom of information for its citizens," he said.
The two-day convention is being attended by representatives of civil society and media, both from within the country and from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.
The deliberations at various sessions are aimed at bringing about the insight on the current issues of the act and applying them to the theory and practices of the right to information.