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Anna Hazare calls off fast on RTI

      Alandi (Maharashtra): Following the Government's announcement that the amendment proposals of Right to Information Act would not be tabled during the current session of Parliament, the noted social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday called off his 11-day-old fast-unto-death. Hazare, 68, was offered a glass of juice by Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan. He had started the hunger strike on August 9 to oppose proposed amendments that would have diluted the law and suppressed the rights of the common citizen by denying access to file notings. Hazare on Thursday demanding deferment of the proposed Bill to amend the Right to Information Act to the next session had said that this move would give four months time to undertake a country-wide campaign against the Bill. The 66-year-old reformer and recipient of Ramon Magsaysay award on Wednesday turned down the PMO's request to first call off the stir and then meet the Prime Minister in New Delhi for a discussion.

Centre shelves RTI amendments

      New Delhi: The UPA Government is trying to go slow on putting the 'file notings' outside the purview of the Right to Information Act as the proposed RTI amendments are unlikely to be brought in during the current session of Parliament. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri said that since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi have received several representations over the issue, the amendments are not likely to be brought in this session and a decision would be taken only after discussing it with all stake-holders. The news has brought relief to many people who had been opposing the recent proposed amendments, as it would make the entire RTI "void". Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi was not available for comment. On July 20, the Cabinet gave clearance to the RTI amendments that exempted secretary level file notings from its ambit. The Cabinet had then said that the proposed amendments would "remove ambiguities and make the RTI act more effective". But there has been a lot of protests over the amendments with social activists alleging that the amendments which had been brought under the due pressure from the bureaucrats would 'destroy the soul and character of the Act', labelled as a progressive one. Anna Hazare had been fasting to protest against the proposed RTI amendments and had demanded that until the Centre would not give a written assurance of not legislating the amendments he would not give up his fast.

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