RTI brought marked decline in corruption in India: study

Jaipur, Feb 1 (UNI) Right to Information (RTI) Act has served as a powerful weapon in fighting corruption which has shown a marked decline in the country, according to the latest Corruption Perception Index .

Published by the Transparency International, India's corruption index showed a marked decline from 88 to 70th position. The single-most reason for the drop in corruption in government was attributed to the Right to Information Act.

Mr George Cherian of the Centre for Consumer Action, Research&Training (CART) informed this at a semiar on ''One year of RTI in Rajasthan:Problems and possibilities'' here today.

He said out of the 183 countries' corruption indices, India's index declined by 18 points compared to that in 2005 and the major reason attributed to this steep fall is the public scrutiny through Right to Information Act.

Chief Information Commissioner of Rajasthan M D Kaurani, speaking on the occasion, emphasised the need for a separate executive wing and fund for the commission to make the implementation of the law more effective. He said at present the Home department is entrusted with the responsibility of execution and it is one among many responsibilites with the Home department. Besides, there is no separate fund allocated for RTI.

He said the Commission would soon launch a helpline in the state and added that ''though the significance of the law has been acknowledged, there is need to make it more powerful and effective with more fund and staff''.

Mr Venkatesh Nayak of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative(CHRI) and Mr Nikil Dey of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangatan also spoke on the occasion.

UNI