Relevance for Banking, SSC & RBI Grade B exams: Polity & Governance

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to form high-level committees to address the persistent issue of student suicides, emphasizing proactive disclosure of committee details on their official websites. The directive followed an appeal by an IIT-Kanpur alumnus, who sought data on suicides at IITs since 2005 under the RTI Act to study root causes like age, gender, and social category. While the IITs provided aggregate data, they withheld personal details citing privacy exemptions under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, citing Supreme Court rulings on privacy and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The CIC upheld the institutions’ decisions on withholding sensitive information but stressed the need for urgent preventive measures amid recurring campus suicides.

This development holds relevance for Banking, SSC, and RBI Grade B exam aspirants as it intersects governance, constitutional provisions, and institutional accountability. Questions may arise on the RTI Act’s exemptions, the role of the CIC, and the balance between transparency and privacy, which are key topics in polity and governance sections. Additionally, the case highlights the importance of mental health policies in public institutions, a theme increasingly tested in exams like RBI Grade B’s descriptive papers or SSC’s general awareness sections. Aspirants should note the Supreme Court’s stance on privacy (Puttaswamy case) and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, as these are frequently asked in competitive exams.

Source: The Hindu

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