ICTpost News Network
New Delhi: October 24, 2015
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the “Right To Information” Act as a tool through which the common man has got not just the right to know, but also the right to question those in power. In his remarks at the 10th Annual Convention of the Central Information Commission (CIC), the Prime Minister said that the Union Government’s “Digital India” initiative is complimentary to RTI, because putting information online brings transparency, which in turn, builds trust.
The Prime Minister called for an end to the silo-approach in Government. He said administrative processes should be run based on trusting the people, rather than doubting the people. The Prime Minister said RTI has become a tool for good governance. He also described how the Pro Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform developed in the PMO has become a vibrant platform for monitoring progress of projects.
Terming RTI as an exemplary law, Arun Jaitley said that it has transformed the society and India has passed the first stage of civilized governance. He said that the use of technology has made it more effective, less time-consuming and cost-effective. Commenting upon the constraints and apprehensions related to RTI Act, he said that sometimes too much openness is considered to be bad for governance. In this case, the administrators of the Act should use their discretion to achieve a balance between right to information and prevent its misuse at the same time, he said. Shri Jaitley said a line needs to be drawn between the public domain and privacy issue, while implementing the Act. The Act is of great utility to the society and will continue to grow and gain maturity, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space stated that privileges, Official Secrets Act, Independence and Democracy are the learning experiences in direction of people’s urge for information. He mentioned that transparency in Government, ease of governance and citizen centric governance are the main pillars of governance of the present Government and are in sync with the directions by the Prime Minister of India for Maximum governance and Minimum Government.
Vijay Sharma, Chief Information Commissioner said that Commission is looking at the RTI Act as timely, relevant and usable legislation. He mentioned that after one decade, the time has come for stock taking of the past experiences and stage setting for the future. Shri Sharma said that there is a need for appraisal and analysis of previous experiences and making the legislation more accessible, transparent for its future users. The Central Information Commissioner also highlighted the need for autonomy, fairness and trust required for better implementation of the RTI Act.
The Chief Information Commissioner also highlighted the themes of ?Translating RTI into Citizen Welfare-the expanding horizons in Digital India; Rationalizing the nature and scope of the Act; Gaps; implications for use and misuse; RTI seeks a practical regime; Are we doing enough for transparency in governance; Privacy in time of RTI and Making RTI Work better: experience from the States, which are being deliberated in the two-day Conference.
On the completion of ten years of RTI Act, the first CIC of India, Wajahat Habibullah said that the scope of RTI should not be limited only to know, but should also aim at public participation in the process of governance through RTI.
Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, DoPT called upon the Information Commissioners to conduct a studies on any subject based upon the analysis of RTI queries, as suggested by the Prime Minister of India. This study will help in the improvement of policies, he added.
