President A P J Abdul Kalam has given his assent to the Right to Information Bill that seeks to usher in a new era in the process of governance, performance and accountability.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan [Images] spokesman said on Wednesday that the assent was given earlier this month and notification in this regard will be issued by the law ministry.

Under the bill, it is obligatory on the part of every public authority to provide information and maintain records about its
operations to the citizen. It seeks to promote openness, transparency and accountability in administration.

The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha last month.

Among other things, the bill lays down the architecture for accessing information, which is simple, time-bound and inexpensive.

It also imposes stringent penalties for failure to provide information or affecting its flow.