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Patna,(BiharTimes): Though the Right to Information Act, 2005 is one of the most popular acts passed in Parliament, yet it is ‘ineffective’ in Bihar. The irony is that Bihar government takes credit for being the first to implement it.
According to Fact-Finding Team of the Press Council of India:“Information officers allegedly do not give information to journalists and various sections of the society giving reasons that the information could be used as news.” |
The Fact-Finding Team “received many complaints in which it was alleged that vital information is not furnished because of the fear of their journalistic usage. When a journalist dared to report on the basis of the information received from the Commission. He was then victimized.”
The report quoted president of the Nagrik Adhikar Manch, Shiv Prakash Ray, who appeared on behalf of Nagrik Adhikar Manch. He alleged that “Mahuwa TV channel had telecast some news stories that were gathered by using Right to Information Act 2005. The information were taken from not lesser authority than the Chief Minister’s Public Grievance cell. However, after the telecast, the ruling establishment put pressure on the channel management and got all the reporting team out of job, which included senior journalist Praveen Bagi and Kulbhushan. This is another example of increasing government’s control over the media.”
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