TNI Bureau: As expected, the Union Cabinet dropped the proposed amendments to the Right to Information Act in a meeting today after Congress President Sonia Gandhi opposed the proposals. The amendments were seen as dilution of the RTI Act.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the proposals, which were aimed at diluting and weakening the RTI Act. Sources said that the proposed amendments would have exempted file notings from disclosure except for development and social issues. The amendments also so suggested that the exam selection process be exempted from the RTI ambit.

The dilutions had also planned to curb providing information about public examination and evaluation of an individual for appointment in the government sector. The proposals were given in 2009 but not introduced in Parliament after the objection by RTI activists and the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC).