RTI Happenings: RTI commissioner gauges Act implementation

[akhilesh yadav]

RTI commissioner gauges Act implementation

Reported in thehindu.com on 28 July 2012
The Hindu : NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : RTI commissioner gauges Act implementation

Right To Information Act Commissioner M. Ratan inspected the offices of the Chief Planning Officer, Project Director of Housing, and Deputy Director of Social Welfare on Friday and examined registers and files to gauge implementation of the RTI Act.CPO Gurrappa told Mr. Ratan that 21 applications were received in 2011 and five applications so far this year and all of them were disposed of.Mr. Ratan told officials to keep data of employees on the website as per Section 4 (1) (B) of the Act.When he visited the Housing Corporation office here, Project Director of Housing, Sainath, told him that 40 applications were received in 2011 and 26 so far this year. All the applications of 2011 and 23 out of 26 received this year were disposed of and information was sent to petitioners by registered post, the he said.The commissioner inspected registers and files in the Office of Deputy Director of Social Welfare, Madhusudana Rao, and told public information officers, APIOs and officials to promptly resolve complaints.He inspected signboard giving information of the PIO and APIO in the SW Office.Deputy Director in the CPO office, Basavaraju, APIO Raghuramaiah, Executive Engineer in Housing Corporation, Sridhar Reddy, manager, Nizamuddin, assistant manager, Thikkanna, District Social Welfare Officer, Saraswathi, participated.

[akhilesh yadav]

Sponsorer

Mindset of officials must change: RTI Commissioner

Reported in thehindu.com on 28 July 2012
The Hindu : NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : Mindset of officials must change: RTI Commissioner

The mindset of officials should change and they must be more responsive in promptly furnishing data sought by people, Right To Information Act Commissioner M. Ratan asserted on Friday.

Addressing officials at a review meeting in the Collectorate Sabha Bhavan here, Mr. Ratan said RTI Act 2005 gained patronage from 2006. The number of applications in the State rose from 8,800 in 2006 to 3.90 lakh this year. He exhorted officials to furnish data soon without waiting till the stipulated time of 30 days. Relevant information should be uploaded online under Section 41 (B) of the Act, he said. He remarked that response from the Revenue Department was tardy. While one tahsildar furnished information by charging Rs. 20, a tahsildar of another district sought Rs. 2,000 for the same information, he said referring to a complaint received. On the whole, 95 per cent of officials responded promptly but others were lackadaisical.

Sending information by registered post would be proof of furnishing data and photocopies should be attested and sent, he said. He directed Kadapa SP Manish Kumar Sinha to initiate prompt action on any attacks on RTI applicants.

Issues relating to national security, diplomatic relations, CBI and Intelligence were exempted, Mr. Ratan said and added that information need not be furnished on police cases when inquiry was in progress, but after charge-sheeting it becomes a public document.

He assured to clarify within a week the district Collector’s query on data relating to remarks against the note files, on witnesses in ACB cases and departmental inquiries.

Data could be photographed or videographed. He assured to dispose of 452 pending applications from Kadapa district. Kadapa Collector V. Anil Kumar said delay in the Revenue Department in responding to applicants was due to staff shortage. SP Manish Kumar Sinha said RTI Act was a powerful tool for the betterment of society.