RTI activists and members of civil society organisations under the banner of the Soochana Adhikar Milita Mancha, Ganjam and the Citizen of Ganjam on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the proposed amendment in the RTI Act does not dilute the original law.

They took out a rally in Brahmapur in response to nation-wide call given by NCPRI (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information) to protest the proposed amendment and submitted a memorandum for the PM, expressing concern that the amendment is taken up without public consultation.

They said the RTI Amendment Bill which has been presented in Rajya Sabha seeks to weaken the RTI law by empowering the Centre and State Governments to decide salaries of Information Commissioners through rules. The RTI Act currently states that the salaries, allowances and other terms of service of the Chief of all Information Commissions and the Information Commissioners of the Central Information Commissions shall be the same as that of a Judge of the Supreme Court, while those of the State Information Commissioners shall be the same as the Chief Secretary of the State.

They further said the status conferred on Commissioners under the RTI Act is to empower them to carry out their functions autonomously and direct even the highest offices to comply with the provisions of the law. However, empowering the Governments to decide salaries would seriously undermine the independence of panel, they lamented.

They urged the PM to ensure that the text of the proposed RTI Amendment Bill must be immediately put in the public domain for wide discussion and public debate before being discussed in Parliament.

They also urged the Central Government to constitute lokpal at the earliest. Besides they urged Modi to implement the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, given the rising attacks on the activists exposing corruption.