Govt saves the political class from RTI
August 01, 2013  22:10
The cabinet today gave its nod to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act to keep political parties out of the ambit of transparency law. 

The decision to change the RTI Act was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, official sources said. 

The move followed after the Central Information Commission (CIC) had in June held that six national parties -- Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP -- have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government and were required to appoint Public Information Officers (PIOs) as they have the character of a public authority under the RTI Act.

The decision from transparency watchdog evoked sharp reactions from political parties, especially Congress which has been credited with bringing in the transparency law but is opposed to the CIC's directive.
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