Guess who’s invoking the Right to Information Act the most? Serving and retired public servants far more than the ordinary citizen, it seems (And you thought only those who wanted to see answer-scripts of board exams could take the help of
RTI?) No matter who is using it more, the
RTI has done a world of good by putting an end to several common corrupt practises in government offices — such as customs and income tax departments freely using liaison men from corporate houses to bribe ministry officials and acquiring government accommodation by jumping queue. The fear of
RTI among ministry officials has only to be seen to be believed. Allowing favoured officers to jump the long queue to get government houses is one of the august traditions of Indian officialdom. While scores of Class III and IV officials do not have official accommodation owing to scarcity of quarters, even Class I IAS and IPS officers have to wait for months to get official housing. But life after
RTI is different. Recently, an IAS officer was on the verge of jumping queue and getting accommodation, when the ministry learnt that an IPS officer ahead in the list had exercised his right to information. And then, there was no option but to follow the rulebook. It is not known whether name-plates had been ordered, and if so, who footed the bill.
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Opinion | Diary