The Lok Sabha may take up on Monday for discussion and passage a bill meant to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act with an aim to shield political parties from providing information under the transparency law.
Minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions V. Narayanasamy on August 12 introduced the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2013 in the Lower House.
Mr Narayanasamy “to move that the bill to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 be taken into consideration. Also to move that the bill be passed,” said the list of business for the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The RTI amendment bill could not be discussed on earlier occasions on August 23, 24, 26 and 29 because of pandemonium in the House on various issues.
The Union Cabinet had last month cleared a proposal to amend the Right to Information Act to give immunity to political parties and negate an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) to this effect.
The Cabinet’s decision had come nearly two months after the CIC order of bringing six national political parties — the Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI(M), CPI and the BSP — under the Right to Information Act.
The government has proposed an amendment in Section 2 of the RTI Act, which defines public authority, to shield the political parties.
The proposed amendments, if accepted by Parliament, will make it clear that the definition of public authority shall not include any political party registered under the Representation of the People Act, official sources said.
The Central Information Commission had, in its order on June 3, held that the six national parties have been substantially funded indirectly by the Central government and were required to appoint public information officers as they have the character of a public authority under the Right to Information Act.