Prime Minister on RTI Act
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his Independence Day speech, assured to strengthen the 'RTI Act'. This act has been an instrumental gift of United Progressive Alliance government in inducing transparency and accountability in governance-system
IT REFERS to welcome the announcement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his Independence Day speech to further strengthen ‘Right-To-Information Act’ which has been an instrumental gift of United Progressive Alliance government in inducing transparency and accountability in governance-system. Apart from other steps, Dr Manmohan Singh should also consider under-mentioned amendments and practices in RTI Act:
1.Section 27 and 28 of RTI Act giving often-misused discretionary powers to governments and competent authorities to twist RTI Act and rules should be repealed so that RTI Act and rules may be uniform and same for all governments and public-authorities.
2.Dominating role of private-sector in general public-life requires India to follow extending RTI Act to private sector.
3.Public-authorities many-a-times spend much extra in mailing and handling of copies of documents than received as copying charges. Rule may be to provide first say five pages free-of-charge. However, copying charges from first page may be charged for pages exceeding five. That is to say that for six pages, copying charges may then be rupees twelve and not rupees two.
4.Postal-authorities should be asked to issue exclusive postal-orders of rupees ten each meant exclusively for RTI purpose to be sold in booklets of ten throughout complete working hours at all post-offices. Presently postal-orders are available only in selected post-offices that too in restricted period for two hours or so.
5.All RTI replies should be from fast, safe and economical ‘Speed Post’. Presently Supreme Court spends much on costly Registered Post while Prime Minister’s Office replies through unreliable ordinary post.
6.Most public-authorities do not follow practices laid down for them in RTI Act. Denial to accept RTI fees in names other than ‘accounts officer’, not providing details of Appellate Authority in CPIO’s reply etc are quite common. Public-authorities should compulsorily give their name, phone-number, e-mail ID, complete mailing address in all correspondence relating to RTI petitions.
7. Penalty should be imposed on those responsible for not incorporating field ‘Right-To-Information’ on websites of public-authorities.
8.To check necessity to file RTI petitions, system should be formulated whereby every public-authority may otherwise also have to compulsorily respond to every communication received by it in a time-bound period. Recently launched website ‘President Helpline’ by President’s secretariat should be a role-model to have compulsory existence of similar helpline on websites of all public-authorities.
9.Central Information Commission should have an all-new user-friendly website and a centralised office under one single complex. Work-allocation amongst information commissioners should be in a manner that backlog may be almost equal for each information commissioner.
10. Central Information Commission rather than Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) should handle all decisions and procedures including publicity of RTI Act.
Many of these suggestions not requiring any amendments to RTI Act should be implemented with immediate effect. Those requiring amendments to RTI Act should be included in proposed bill to amend RTI Act.
2.Dominating role of private-sector in general public-life requires India to follow extending RTI Act to private sector.
3.Public-authorities many-a-times spend much extra in mailing and handling of copies of documents than received as copying charges. Rule may be to provide first say five pages free-of-charge. However, copying charges from first page may be charged for pages exceeding five. That is to say that for six pages, copying charges may then be rupees twelve and not rupees two.
4.Postal-authorities should be asked to issue exclusive postal-orders of rupees ten each meant exclusively for RTI purpose to be sold in booklets of ten throughout complete working hours at all post-offices. Presently postal-orders are available only in selected post-offices that too in restricted period for two hours or so.
5.All RTI replies should be from fast, safe and economical ‘Speed Post’. Presently Supreme Court spends much on costly Registered Post while Prime Minister’s Office replies through unreliable ordinary post.
6.Most public-authorities do not follow practices laid down for them in RTI Act. Denial to accept RTI fees in names other than ‘accounts officer’, not providing details of Appellate Authority in CPIO’s reply etc are quite common. Public-authorities should compulsorily give their name, phone-number, e-mail ID, complete mailing address in all correspondence relating to RTI petitions.
7. Penalty should be imposed on those responsible for not incorporating field ‘Right-To-Information’ on websites of public-authorities.
8.To check necessity to file RTI petitions, system should be formulated whereby every public-authority may otherwise also have to compulsorily respond to every communication received by it in a time-bound period. Recently launched website ‘President Helpline’ by President’s secretariat should be a role-model to have compulsory existence of similar helpline on websites of all public-authorities.
9.Central Information Commission should have an all-new user-friendly website and a centralised office under one single complex. Work-allocation amongst information commissioners should be in a manner that backlog may be almost equal for each information commissioner.
10. Central Information Commission rather than Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) should handle all decisions and procedures including publicity of RTI Act.
Many of these suggestions not requiring any amendments to RTI Act should be implemented with immediate effect. Those requiring amendments to RTI Act should be included in proposed bill to amend RTI Act.
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