RTI Happenings: Stop accepting RTI fees in shape of IPOs: RTI Movement

[Sajib Nandi]

Reported by Greaterkashmir.com on 11 August 2012
Stop accepting RTI fees in shape of IPOs RTI Movement Lastupdate:- Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT GreaterKashmir.com

Srinagar, Aug 10: Activists of Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information (RTI) Movement of Kashmir have lodged strong protest against acceptance of fees in the shape of Indian Postal Orders (IPOs) for providing information under the J&K RTI Act.

In a statement Convener of J&K RTI Movement, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said fees collected in shape of Non Judicial stamp papers, cash against GR, DD, treasury receipts goes into the state treasury. “But fees charged on account of Indian Postal Orders (IPO’s) directly goes into the central government kitty. We treat this as a gross mistake,” the statement said.

“We appeal the Chief Minister to personally intervene into this matter and get a circular issued so that this provision is deleted from the J&K RTI Rules 2010,” the statement added.

[pcbali]

Sponsorer

What a pity, Sajib. Height of it, while ultimately the IPO is paid to PA in his account. I hope the Dr. Raja may not like to purchase the Postal Stamps also.

[karira]

This impression is not correct. The IPO is just like a cheque, purchased from the Post office on payment of a commission.
The payee can then deposit in its own account and gets full credit for it - just like any other cheque.
The fees therefore go to the Pyblic Authority.

[pcbali]

No, Dr Raja & like thinking people do not want the money may remain with India for even time being (Purchase date to paying date. What a great thinking.

[akhilesh yadav]

IPOs safe mode of fee: RTI activists
Reported by tribuneindia.com on August 12,2012
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - JAMMU TRIBUNE

Jammu, August 11
A day after some Kashmir-based RTI activists registered protest against the acceptance of fee in the shape of Indian Postal Orders (IPOs) for providing information under the J&K RTI Act, Jammu-based RTI activists and legal experts countered the move by describing the fee paid through IPOs as “absolutely legitimate and safe”.

In a press statement issued here, an RTI activist and advocate Vilakshan Singh cited Rule 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir RTI Rules 2010 and said the government rules give an option to the RTI applicant to choose his mode of payment and that right must be honoured. He said it was a wrong notion that the RTI fee paid through the IPOs go to the Union government’s kitty.

Yesterday, convener of the J&K RTI Movement, Raja Muzaffar Bhat, had said fee collected in the shape of non-judicial stamp papers, cash against GR, DD, treasury receipts goes into the state treasury. “But fees charged on account of Indian Postal Orders (IPO’s) directly goes into the Central government’s kitty. We treat this as a gross mistake,” he had said and had appealed to the Chief Minister to personally intervene into the matter and get a circular issued so that this provision is deleted from the J&K RTI Rules 2010.

Balwinder Singh, an RTI activist and convener of the Sangarsh RTI Movement, said Raja’s statement was far from truth and it was a wrong perception.

Aseem Sawhney, another RTI activist and an advocate, also objected to the demand of scrapping the option of Indian Postal order.

He said the IPOs were the easiest and safe mode of payment for the RTI users. RTI activists Raman Sharma and Deepak Sharma also stressed for the continuation of IPOs as RTI fee option.