RTI activists protest Bihar amendments

PATNA - Hundreds of Right to Information (RTI) activists staged a day-long sit-in here Monday to protest the amendments made in the RTI law by the Bihar government.

Rupesh, convenor of the Right to Information campaign, said the Bihar government should roll back the amendments. They also sought that the government should not levy charges on an appeal.

According to the amendments, a petitioner cannot seek more than one piece of information in one application and will have to pay Rs.10 per query. Earlier, several queries could be sought in one petition and for the same cost.

The activists have launched a signature campaign and plan a statewide protest against the move.

Officials defended the changes.

“The changes were made to make RTI more effective and prevent its misuse. They were as per central government guidelines,” said Deepak Kumar, principal secretary, personnel and administrative reforms.