Jayant introduces private bill to amend RTI Act

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Rashtriya Lok Dal MP Jayant Chaudhary Friday introduced a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act to enable the citizens get information from private entities that are part of public private partnership (PPPs) projects.

The bill seeks to amend Section 2 of the landmark 2005 transparency law and insert a new definition of 'private sector entity' and 'public-private partnerships' in it.

"There is a general ambiguity about the jurisdiction of RTI on PPPs and several RTI applications filed seeking information on PPP projects are pending thereby causing litigation. The Bill therefore seeks to address this ambiguity and make it mandatory for a private company under PPP to share information under the RTI Act," said Chaudhary.

He said the amendment, if passed, would strengthen RTI's role in enhancing transparency and accountability.