No step taken to dilute RTI Act: Minister

New Delhi : Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the government has not been involved in diluting or curtailing the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

"There were apprehension emerging in some sections of the society and media that there was a move by the government to dilute or curtail the RTI Act. This apprehension is baseless," said the Minister.

"On the contrary, the government has worked on the principle of increasing citizens' participation in governance, with more accountability and transparency in the last four years, " the minister said.

Singh, who was attending an interactive session with the members of Indian Women's Press Corps(IWPC), said the pendency of the RTI applications has been brought down and the time of disposal has also been reduced.

The Minister said that in the last four years, most authorities numbering around 2000, have been brought under the purview of the RTI Act, which was not so earlier.