RAS question
Rajasthan was a pioneer in enacting the Right to Information law. The Rajasthan Right to Information Act was passed in:
Correct answer: (C) 2000.
The Rajasthan Right to Information Act was passed in 2000, before the national Right to Information Act of 2005.
Explanation
Rajasthan's Right to Information Act belongs to the pre-national phase of India's transparency laws. The official DARPG report, Right to Information: Master Key to Good Governance, lists Rajasthan's state law under "RAJASTHAN- 2000" in its comparative analysis of state RTI laws, while it identifies the national Right to Information Act as a 2005 enactment of Parliament. That makes 2000 the correct year for Rajasthan, not 2005. Rajasthan's early law is also associated with the MKSS movement led by Aruna Roy in Rajasthan, which is why the state is often treated as a pioneer in RTI questions.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 2005 refers to the national Right to Information Act enacted by Parliament, not Rajasthan's earlier state law.
- (B) 2010 is too late because the DARPG comparative table records Rajasthan's RTI law under 2000.
- (D) 1995 does not match Rajasthan's RTI enactment year, which the official comparative table gives as 2000.
Concept
This tests the evolution of transparency and accountability laws in Rajasthan's political-administrative system. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan's early RTI law is a standard marker of citizen movements influencing governance reform.