The present is the age of information explosion. Information is knowledge. Information is power. Secrecy is the bulwark of inefficient and corrupt administration while transparency is the hallmark of honest and efficient administration. Democratic government requires openness and transparency in governance of the country. It is the basis of the demand of information justice. Freedom of information is the oxygen of democracy.

Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen may request information from a “public authority” (a body of Government or “instrumentality of State”) which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerize its records for wide dissemination and to proactively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.