Abstract

Effective government requires involvement, transparency, legitimacy, and responsiveness. Good governance in India was formed in 2005 with the RTI Act and the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments. Since its introduction a decade ago, the RTI Act has transformed government operations and governance discourse. Corruption has decreased as government employees are more involved, conscientious, and accountable. The Act empowers citizens and deters large-scale scandals, enabling them to hold public leaders accountable. The RTI Act gave voice to citizens' governance concerns, changing the power balance between ordinary citizens and authorities in India. It allows citizens to influence government programmes and policies and scrutinise government activities and choices to ensure public interest and justice. The Act has also boosted public participation in governance by allowing individuals to directly question officials about their job. Participatory democracy has improved elective democracy and made government more responsible and transparent. This essay will discuss how the Right to Information Act promotes good governance by increasing openness and accountability in our system. It will also study how civil society, social activists, ordinary citizens and organisations use the right to know and support this legislation. It will also examine E-governance's rise as a tool for transparency, accountability, and good governance. It will then address the risks of RTI in India and how it promotes good governance.

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