Jairam fuel in RTI debate
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Oct. 10: Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today opposed sharing of certain "privileged" and "secret" matters under the right to information (RTI) law, echoing cabinet colleagues Salman Khurshid and M. Veerappa Moily.
Ministers write to the Prime Minister on a variety of issues. There has to be a concept of secrecy in government," Ramesh said.
According to Ramesh, communications leading to a cabinet decision or a policy decision of the government should be shared under the RTI act "only after" the decision is taken. "But before the decision, any paper relating to the matter should not be made public."
The minister's observations come at a time the Congress feels a broad debate on the act could throw up suggestions about how to tackle its "misuse" and may even help the nation treat "sensational" information with greater maturity.
Law minister Khurshid had earlier said that purported misuse of the RTI act had been affecting institutional efficacy and had sometimes made bureaucrats reluctant to record their opinions. He has suggested a second look at some RTI provisions.
Corporate affairs minister Moily, a former law minister, too has spoken in a similar vein.
There have been reservations in some circles about the wisdom of having such a law in a vast country like India that is struggling with basic problems.
The latest debate, however, was triggered by the "shock" the government received following the disclosure by the Prime Minister's Office, under the RTI act, of the 2G note prepared by the finance ministry.
The controversy over the confidential note ended up creating a rift between two senior ministers.
Ramesh cited examples of controversial decisions he had taken when he was environment minister to back his argument. "Documents relating to the decision on BT (genetically modified) brinjal or environmental clearance to Posco can be shared under RTI," he said.
"But if there is a privileged communication between a minister and the Prime Minister, if that is not leading to any policy decision, there is no reason why it should be given under RTI."
Ramesh called for widening the ambit of the RTI law by bringing under its purview all public-private-partnership (PPP) projects, which are now kept outside the act's domain. "Every citizen has the right to know how the money has been spent under the PPP projects," he said.
Asked about some senior ministers' reservations about the alleged misuse of the act, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "Allow this debate to play itself out."
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