New Delhi, July 25: The Right to Information Act (RTI) 2019 was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The Bill had already been passed in the Lok Sabha. There were intense discussions in the Rajya Sabha before the passing of the controversial Right to Information Act (RTI) 2019. The Bill will now be sent to the President Ram Nath Kovind for his approval. Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2019 Explained: What is the Bill and What Changes Does it Make in the RTI Act?

The RTI Amendment Bill was passed in the Upper House through voice vote, despite strong protests from the Opposition parties. The Opposition also staged a walkout in the protest of the Bill.

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Congress MPs staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha during debate on RTI Amendment Bill 2019.

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The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2019 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, July 22. It was introduced in the parliament last Friday, on July 19. The amendment bill aims to change the historic transparency law.

The bill introduced changes in the salaries and tenures of Information Commissioners (ICs). The changes has been made at both at the States and the level of Centre.

However, this move by the Government has come under attack by the Opposition and Congress leaders. The Opposition’s main charge on the government is that it is trying to influence the office of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) through the amendment.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, TMC leader Derek O'Brien and senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke against the Bill and alleged that the amendments were a way to weaken the transparency bill. The Congress and other opposition parties in Rajya Sabha stuck to their demand for sending the RTI amendment bill to a Select Committee before taking it for discussion and passage.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 25, 2019 08:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).