Bidar: Social activist Anna Hazare will start a satyagraha at Rajghat in New Delhi from the New Year day, demanding changes in the Right to Information Act and its effective implementation.

"I have been urging the State and Union Governments to make some radical changes in the Act. The Act should be suitably changed to ensure that each government department has its own website and all the information be put up on websites. This will lead to proactive disbursal of information by the Government. It will also reduce the burden on the people seeking information. It will not only ensure better governance but also transparent administration. Hence the satyagraha," Mr Hazare told presspersons in Humnabad on Saturday.

He was here to participate in the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Basava Teertha Vidyapeetha Education Society.

Mr. Hazare will also demand better implementation of the Act. "The Act demands that each State appoint at least 10 Information Commissioners. This has not happened. The commissioners should punish or impose penalty officials who refuse information, or provide wrong or incomplete information. This is not happening. It also mandates that the information sought by the people should be provided in 30 days. This rule is not being followed too."

Belgaum issue

Reacting to reports that some political parties had invited him to join the agitation to merge Belgaum and some other parts of the State to Maharashtra, he said he had turned down the offer.

"The issue is being kept alive by political parties who have an eye on votes. I believe that the issue can be solved if leaders of Maharashtra, Karnataka and those at the Centre sit together and discuss. However, they do not want to do that and have approached the court," he said.

He welcomed the Government's efforts at soil and moisture conservation. However, he felt these efforts should be more scientific. He was also happy that many non-governmental organisations had taken up watershed development programmes. But some NGOs were running behind money in the name of carrying out watershed development programmes. This was wrong and should stop, he said.

The only intention behind such programmes should be to ensure recharging of ground water, stopping migration to cities and all-round rural development, he said.

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