Most official publications are being brought out by the States and Central governments' Controllers of Publications. There have been growing resentments both within public and publishing sectors to stop publishing popular books and serials for mass consumption by the official Publications Division. Already opinions have been expressed to wind-up the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. But in all such cases publishers' associations strongly resented and protested against government action. During 1998-99 three books were banned and all are on religion.
Economic disparities help in making it worse.
Indian Supreme Court in some of its landmark judgements and the NHRC have continuously helping in bringing the required changes to uphold citizens' rights in all spheres. Bureaucratic interpretation of the Official Secrets Act and lack of political will are the main causes for not allowing public to have free access to official records of the policy making agencies of the government. Only in 1993 the waiting period for public access to archival official records and documents was brought down from 50 to 35 years. This practice is not followed strictly either by the National Archives, on the plea of not having enough space, or the government departments, because of shortage of staff time, etc. This attitude of the bureaucrats to hold fast to secrecy was recently disapproved by the Prime Minister of India, urging the senior officials in a meeting to change the old ways of dealing with the press and ensure free flow of information on the government's policies and all that was being done to implement them.