THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, was passed in 2002.

One of the key excerpt of the Bill (Click here to see the entire Bill)

Every public authority shall-

(a) maintain all its records, in such manner and form as is consistent with its operational requirement duly cataloged and indexed;

(b) publish at such intervals as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government or competent authority,

(i) the particulars of its organization, function and duties

(ii) the powers and duties of officers and employees and the procedure followed by them in the decision making process;

(iii) the norm set by the public authority for the discharge of its functions

(iv) rules, regulations, instruction, manuals and other categories of records under its control used by its employees for the discharging its function;

(v) the details of facilities available to citizens for obtaining information; and

(vi) the name, designation and other particulars of a public Information Officer

(c) publish all relevant facts concerning important decisions and policies that affect the public while announcing such decision and policies;

(d) give reasons for its decisions, whether administrative or quasi-judicial to those affected by such decisions;

(e) before initiating any project, published or communicate to the public generally or to the persons affected or likely to be affected by the project in particular, the facts available to it or to which it has reasonable access which in its opinion should be known to them in the best interest of natural justice and promotion of democratic principles; 

However, the rules for operationalising it are yet to be finalised by the Government. Organizations have pointed out that the FOIA has many weak points, and urged the amendment of the Act in 2004 on enforcement, to make it participatory and meaningful The amendments are key to corrupt-free progress of the country.

© Prashant Gupta, 2005