RTI Act has lost its purpose

Refer to ‘Plug the gaps to bolster RTI Act’; over the years, the much-cherished Act has lost its purpose and tenor for which it was enacted. Public Information Officers intentionally delay, deny and evade the desired information by transferring RTI applications to other public authorities on flimsy grounds. The apathetic, complacent first appellate authorities mostly act in unison with the delinquent PIOs and issue non-speaking orders without any application of mind. The politically appointed Central and State Information Commissioners lack courage to reprimand and initiate penal action against PIOs.

Anil Bhatia, Hisar

Amendment weakened RTI

With reference to ‘Plug the gaps to bolster RTI Act’; the writer has suggested people to come forward to take the lead to make the law more effective. His advice has substance but ruefully successive governments have clipped the wings of the RTI Act, making their actions less accountable. The BJP government brought amendment to the Act in 2019 to weaken it and turn the Central Information Commission into a toothless organisation. The amendment weakened the Act’s independence and diluted its essence.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Develop a culture of innovation

Apropos of ‘Nobel for trio honours economic creation and destruction’; the award recognises the pertinent observation that innovation springs from advances in technology and skillsets. Indian universities should foster STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, following the example set by China which adopted an effective model starting in the 1980s. Leading institutions like Peking University set up tech startups which used university-developed technology. They transformed universities into research institutions. In India too, we need to build up a national culture of innovation.

Chander Shekhar Dogra, Jalandhar

Create indigenous capacity

Refer to ‘AI impetus’; Google’s announcement of a $15 billion-AI hub in Visakhapatnam signifies more than infrastructure; it is a foothold in the global contest over AI’s physical and intellectual control. With such investments, India can strengthen data sovereignty, shape global norms and move from being a service provider to a serious player in AI innovation. Yet, this promise comes with caveats. The Nobel spotlight on Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt reminds us that technological progress is never automatic. Growth depends on who owns the tools of innovation and how fairly the gains are shared. India must ensure that this AI revolution creates indigenous capacity — not deepen dependency on global giants.

Vandana, Chandigarh

Big brothers to small parties

Apropos of ‘BJP firefights amid discord over NDA seat-sharing pact’; the present discord in Bihar NDA over seat-sharing has been created by the BJP and JD (U). They should have acted like elder brothers while allotting seats to smaller parties .They can solve the crisis by retaining 100 seats each, while allotting one extra seat to smaller parties headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha. This sweet gesture would not cost much to the big parties. It would offer a big relief of about 17% gain to smaller parties. JD (U) has already got more seats than it deserves.

Vijaya Sharma, by mail

Divided Haryana Police

Refer to ‘Fresh twist as Rohtak ASI dies by suicide, names IG Puran in note’; recent happenings clearly show that the Haryana police is partisan. How an ordinary man can hope of getting justice and protection from such a police force? The reputation of Haryana and its governance machinery is at stake. What kind of policing can the common man expect?

Vinay Kumar Malhotra, Ambala