Polity & Governance
Governance, Transparency and Accountability
GS Paper II
Governance and Transparency — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision of governance: RTI Act sections and deadlines, Information Commissions, amendments, citizens' charters, Sevottam, 2nd ARC reports and e-governance.
SyllabusGS II · Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations and potential; citizens charters, transparency and accountability and institutional measures
A last-week sheet for governance, transparency and accountability. Know the RTI numbers and the 2nd ARC report titles.
RTI Act, 2005 — Numbers
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| In force | 12 October 2005 (assent June 2005) |
| Reply | 30 days |
| Life or liberty | 48 hours |
| Assistant PIO route | +5 days |
| Third-party information | 40 days |
| First appeal | Within 30 days, to a senior officer |
| Second appeal | Within 90 days, to the Information Commission |
| Penalty on PIO | ₹250 per day, maximum ₹25,000 |
| Old records | Most exemptions lapse after 20 years (Section 8(3)) |
| CIC size | Chief + up to 10 Commissioners |
Key Sections
| Section | Provision |
|---|---|
| 2(h) | Public authority |
| 4 | Proactive disclosure |
| 6(2) | No reasons required |
| 8(1) | Exemptions (a)–(j) |
| 8(2) | Public interest override |
| 11 | Third-party information |
| 12 / 15 | Central / State Information Commission |
| 19 | Appeals |
| 20 | Penalties |
| 22 | Overriding effect (incl. Official Secrets Act) |
| 24 | Intelligence and security organisations (Second Schedule) |
Amendments and Judgments
High-yield
- State of U.P. v. Raj Narain (1975) — right to know under Article 19(1)(a).
- CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) — access to evaluated answer sheets.
- Thalappalam Service Co-operative Bank (2013) — co-operatives not public authorities unless substantially financed or controlled.
- CPIO, Supreme Court v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal (2019) — CJI’s office is a public authority.
- RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 — Union Government sets term and salary of Information Commissioners.
- DPDP Act, 2023 — Section 8(1)(j) now exempts personal information without a public interest test.
Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005)
| Report | Title |
|---|---|
| 1st | Right to Information: Master Key to Good Governance |
| 4th | Ethics in Governance |
| 6th | Local Governance |
| 11th | Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward |
| 12th | Citizen Centric Administration: The Heart of Governance |
Citizen-Centric Tools
| Tool | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Citizen’s Charter | UK 1991; India 1997 (Conference of Chief Ministers) |
| Sevottam | Charter + grievance redress + service delivery capability |
| Right to Services laws | State laws making service timelines enforceable |
| Social audit | Community verification of spending, usually in the Gram Sabha |
| CPGRAMS | Online grievance portal for Union ministries |
| NeGP / Digital India | 2006 / 2015 |
Traps
- The RTI Act implements a Fundamental Right; it does not create one.
- Section 24 agencies must still disclose corruption and human rights information.
- The CJI is not on the CIC selection committee.
- Citizens’ charters are not legally binding.
Related Topics
- RTI and Accountability Mechanisms — main note
- Governance — practice questions
- Governance — overview
- All quick revision sheets
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