Voluntary bodies laud Supreme Court verdict

NEW DELHI: Several organisations on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Courts ruling that NGOs with substantial government funding are liable to disclose information under the RTI Act, calling it a significant step towards defining accountability of non-governmental organisations and private bodies.
The Supreme Court order defining clearly what “substantial funding” by the government implies is expected to give a strong impetus to implementation of RTI with regard to NGOs. However, some organisations feel that the definition of “substantial funding” must be strictly applied to only the component of funds received from the government for a project.
Amod Kanth, founder of voluntary organisation Prayas and member-coordinator of Niti Aayogs panel on civil society, said accountability of an organisation for a goverment-funded project is a must under RTI. “However, it is also important to ensure that the projects of organisation, which are not government-funded are not brought under RTI scrutiny,” he said.
Co-convenor of National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information, Anjali Bhardwaj, welcomed the judgement as one that will play a significant role in ensuring compliance with the RTI Act. “The SC order defines very clearly … thOriginal Article