Business Standard: New Delhi: Tuesday,
March 21, 2017.
The Centre
today refused funds to the Uttar Pradesh Academy of Administration and
Management, a premier training institute for bureaucrats, for the promotion of
the Right to Information Act (RTI).
The institute
that provides training to officers selected through state public service
commission had sought Rs 1.5 lakhs for awareness generation for RTI and Rs
75,000 to meet the administrative contingencies.
The
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which acts as nodal authority for
implementation of the transparency law, declined the request saying "funds
are not available under component concerned."
The DoPT,
however, approved Rs 8.5 lakhs to the academy to train 850 officers at state,
division and district levels for handling RTI matters.
A sum of Rs
10 lakh was also sought by the academy to provide training to 1,000 officers.
"As per
the budget availability, the number of participants has been reduced from 1,000
to 850. Accordingly, Rs 8.5 lakh is being released for this purpose," a
DoPT order said.
The grant is
under the centrally-sponsored scheme 'Improving Transparency and Accountability
in Government through Effective Implementation of the Right to Information
Act.' The scheme, launched in August 2010, is aimed at contributing towards
more accountable and transparent government, as well ensure "effective
implementation of the RTI Act."
The
transparency law empowers citizens to seek time-bound response to their queries
related to governance.
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