Rajya Sabha passes RTI (Amendment) Bill amid protests by opposition

July 25: The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday despite protests and subsequent walkout by the opposition. The RTI changes will allow the government to decide the tenure, salary, allowances and other terms of service of the Information Commissioners at the centre and states.

The RTI bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The opposition argued that the bill will take away the independence of the RTI authorities. 117 Rajya Sabha members favoured the RTI (Amendment) Bill, 2019 while 75 of them opposed it. The Congress walked out of Rajya Sabha before voting.

The RTI bill provoked sharp exchanges in the House on Thursday, with the opposition demanding that it be referred to a select committee. Sources say non-aligned parties like the BJD, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR Congress agreed to support the RTI bill, greatly helping the government in an opposition-dominated house.