Book review: Rajvir S. Dhaka, Right to Information and Good Governance (Revised and Enlarged Edition)

Published date01 June 2019
Date01 June 2019
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1177/0019556119844583
Subject MatterBook Reviews
Book Reviews 591
The book explains the basic concepts so comprehensively that it can help not
only the common readers but also the researchers, students, policymakers, experts
from government and non-government organisations in this field. This book is
crucial in understanding environmental issues and the role of the state, judiciary
and civil society in combating the environmental challenges. In addition, it also
informs us about the social concerns and challenges the environmental govern-
ance is facing in India. The content and language of the book are reader-friendly.
The book is a valuable contribution by the scholar in the field of environmental
issues, challenges and governance.
Dr. Sarthak Malhotra
Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Studies
Dyal Singh Evening College
University of Delhi, New Delhi
malhotra.sarthak.ses@gmail.com
Rajvir S. Dhaka, Right to Information and Good Governance (Revised
and Enlarged Edition). New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2018,
v +342 pp., `1,500 (hardback). ISBN-13: 978-93-5125-291-7.
DOI:10.1177/0019556119844583
The enactment and implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act (2005)
may be legitimately recognised as a great landmark in the process of deepening
of democracy and in the institutionalisation of good governance in India. While
the Constitution of India introduced parliamentary democracy and the 73rd & the
74th Constitutional Amendments (1993) created the grassroots democracy, the
RTI has ushered in the participatory democracy in India. It has, undoubtedly,
made every citizen of India a participant in the governance at all the levels.
The Indian Constitution had implicitly guaranteed the right to information in
order to make it explicit a statutory regime for giving power to the citizens to get
information from all the government departments at the centre, state and local levels
as a matter of right through the enactment of RTI Act (2005). This Act is, indeed, a
very comprehensive law that covers all the matters of governance in detail.
Apart from giving power to the citizens, the Act has made the officials respon-
sible for timely delivery of information to them. Its objectives are to empower the
citizens and to bring about transparency and accountability in the functioning of the
government officials for curbing the evil of corruption. The Act is, indeed, a laud-
able step that has proved to be a strong weapon in the hands of the citizens of India
for ensuring effective working of various government departments. It not only
provides for the first and second appellate authorities who could be approached
in case they fail to get the demanded information from the SPIO’s but also for the
imposition of penalty on those officials who fail to comply with the provisions
of the Act. The RTI Act has a compensation clause as well to give relief to the
complainants in the cases of their undue harassment.

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