BharatNotes Transparency
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
Genuine transparency in public procurement, reinforced by the Right to Information Act and real-time disclosure on platforms such as GeM, is the surest antidote to the discretionary opacity in which corruption takes root.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
transparent (adj), transparently (adv), transparentness (n), opaque (adj, antonym), transparencies (n pl)
Root
Latin trans- = through; parēre = to appear; transparēre = to show through; via Medieval Latin trānspārentia
Etymology
From Medieval Latin trānspārentia, from Latin transparēre ("to show through"), from trans- ("through") + parēre ("to appear").
Memory Hook
Trans- (through) + parere (appear): light, and truth, "appear through" the glass, leaving nothing hidden.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The openness of governmental information and process to public scrutiny. In India the statutory vehicle is the Right to Information Act, 2005, which pairs a citizen's right to seek information with the obligation of proactive disclosure under Section 4, the latter designed to reduce the need to ask at all. The development that makes this a live topic is a narrowing of that right. Section 44(3) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which came into force on 14-Nov-2025, replaced Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act with the bare formula that information relating to personal information is exempt, removing the earlier provision under which such information could still be disclosed where a larger public interest warranted it. More than a hundred MPs have sought its repeal and the Supreme Court issued notice on a constitutional challenge in March 2026. The underlying tension, between privacy as a fundamental right and disclosure as an accountability tool, is the heart of the question.
Don’t Confuse It With
Transparency is the visibility of information and process, opacity its absence, and secrecy the deliberate withholding of what could be disclosed. Proactive or suo motu disclosure under Section 4 is published without anyone applying, whereas reactive disclosure answers an individual request. Privacy is the countervailing value protecting personal information, and Section 8(1)(j) is precisely the provision that draws the boundary between the two, which is why amending it shifts the balance.
Hindi Meaning
पारदर्शिता (pārdarshitā); सूचना का अधिकार for the right to information.
Common Questions
- What has changed in Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act?
- Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, 2023, in force since 14-Nov-2025, replaced it with a bare exemption for information relating to personal information, dropping the earlier override permitting disclosure in the larger public interest.
- What is proactive disclosure under the RTI Act?
- The duty under Section 4 for public authorities to publish specified categories of information on their own initiative, so that citizens need not file applications to obtain them.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2016 — Banking
- Prelims 2012 — Materials Science
- Prelims 2011 — Federalism
- Mains 2024 · GS2 · 15 marks — Governance
- Mains 2024 · GS4 · 10 marks — Probity / Code of Ethics
- Mains 2023 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance
- Mains 2019 · GS4 · 20 marks — Ethics in Public Administration
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Transparency” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
