NEW DELHI: Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday said he would return the Padma Bhushan awarded to him if the Centre went ahead with its decision to introduce amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

"People have the right to know about the decisions the government is taking, and every citizen has the right to know what marks he has scored," Mr. Hazare said, referring to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi's statement that the proposed amendments were at the behest of the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) and other government recruiting agencies.

Mr. Hazare was addressing a press conference here along with Magsaysay Award winners Aruna Roy and Sandeep Pandey.

"The Central Government has not put forward any reasons for the proposed amendments. People have the right know why these amendments have been passed," said Ms. Roy.

She said the Centre, through its proposed actions, was turning the scheme of the RTI Act upside down. "The RTI Act is a widely used law. The government has understood what the RTI law means, and is frightened that all that happens behind the scenes will now be revealed," she said.

Activists would organise protests in Delhi and other cities during the current session of Parliament, Ms. Roy said. Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan said information in file notings should be disclosed as citizens have the right to know what public servants were doing.

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