Telegraph India: Kolkata: Saturday, April 5, 2025. The tampering came to light
after a Creek Row resident filed an RTI appeal about the 1-cottah 15-chhatak
plot with the civic body. He wanted to know whether the KMC had approved any
new building on the plot
The Kolkata Municipal
Corporation’s (KMC) assessment records were “tampered with” to get permission
to construct a five-storey building off Creek Row, Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim
said on Friday. The tampering came to light
after a Creek Row resident filed an RTI appeal about the 1-cottah 15-chhatak
plot with the civic body. He wanted to know whether the KMC had approved any
new building on the plot. According to Sayantak Das,
who had filed the RTI, the reply revealed that a five-storey building was
approved under a special provision meant for tenanted buildings. Das said he and several
other neighbours then wrote to the KMC that a two-storey building on the plot
never had any tenants. “I applied to see the
inspection book (IB). I was shown both the physical copy and the copy on the
online server. The discrepancy came to light at this point. The name of the
tenant was there in the physical IB record, but not uploaded online,” said Das. The IB record is the primary
report prepared by KMC officials after field visits and mentions the necessary
details about a property. The plot on Mahendra Sarkar
Street, off Creek Row, in Ward 50, had a two-storey building standing till last
year. The demolition started a little after Durga Puja. “The inspection book records
of the KMC were tampered with. This is a criminal offence. The complainant has
also filed a criminal case. We have forwarded the matter for further probe.
Whoever is involved will be punished,” Hakim said. The mayor admitted that
people within the KMC could be involved in it. “The property owners had
manipulated the records, seemingly with help from someone within KMC, to show
tenants were living in the building. This allowed them to take advantage of a
provision in KMC’s building rules that lets additional built space in tenanted
buildings compared to what is allowed in a plot of similar size and with roads
having similar width, but with no tenant,” said Das. Section 142 of the KMC’s
Building Rules allowed additional built-up area in a building if it has
tenants, said officials. The special provision was
included to ensure that all tenants in such buildings got space in a new
building once the old one was demolished and a new building was built. The assurance of space in
the new building would convince the tenants to leave their space in a crumbling
building and ensure that dilapidated buildings were pulled and new structures
replaced them. “We have revoked the
permission for the new construction,” Hakim added.
छत्तीसगढ़ में “भूत”
आजकल पेंड़ों में पेंटिंग कर रहे हैं। चुपके से आते हैं…..फिर पेड़ों पर लाल…हरा
पेंट कर गायब हो जाते हैं। ना प्रशासन को पता चलता है और ना निगम को…उन्हें तो
मालूम भी तब चलता है, जब पेड़ों पर पेंटिंग हो चुकी
होती है और कुछ पर्यावरणविद RTI
के जरिये इसकी जानकारी
चाहते हैं। सुनकर आप हैरान जरूर हो रहे होंगे, लेकिन
ये हकीकत है। मामला रायगढ़ का है,
जहां NGT और राज्य सरकार के फरमान को ठेंगा दिखाकर पेंडों को
लाल-हरे रंग के केमिकल पेंट से रंग दिया गया है। ये कृत्य तब कब किया गया
है, पेड़ों में किसी तरह पेंट ना करने का आदेश एक बार
नहीं कई बार जारी किया जा चुका है। छत्तीसगढ़ सरकार द्वारा पेड़ों पर सौंदर्यीकरण
के नाम पर पेंटिंग करने पर सख्त प्रतिबंध के बावजूद, रायगढ़
में कलेक्टर रोड पर कई पेड़ों के तनों को रंगा गया। नगर निगम ने इस कार्य से पल्ला
झाड़ते हुए कहा कि उनके द्वारा ऐसा कोई कार्य नहीं कराया गया। इस रहस्यमयी पेंटिंग
के पीछे किसका हाथ है, यह अब तक स्पष्ट नहीं हो सका
है, और अधिकारी भी जांच से बचते नजर आ रहे हैं। छत्तीसगढ़ सरकार ने 2021 में आदेश जारी कर सभी नगर पालिक निगम और स्थानीय
निकायों को पेड़ों पर सौंदर्यीकरण के नाम पर पेंटिंग करने से रोक दिया था। इसके
बाद, अगस्त 2024
में भी एक बार फिर समस्त
विभागों और कलेक्टरों को निर्देश दिए गए थे कि इस प्रकार की पेंटिंग नहीं की जानी
चाहिए और यदि कहीं ऐसा पाया जाता है तो दोषियों पर सख्त कार्यवाही होगी। लेकिन नवंबर-दिसंबर 2024 में रायगढ़ के कलेक्टर रोड पर स्थित कई पेड़ों पर
पेंटिंग देखी गई। यह मामला तब चर्चा में आया जब नगर निगम के कुछ अधिकारियों ने इन
पेड़ों की तस्वीरें सोशल मीडिया पर पोस्ट कर वाहवाही लूटने की कोशिश की। यह सड़क
नगर पालिक निगम के अंतर्गत आती है,
इसलिए इस मामले में नगर
निगम की भूमिका संदिग्ध मानी जा रही है। जब इस मामले की शिकायत
मुख्य सचिव से की गई, तो नगर पालिक निगम रायगढ़ ने
स्पष्ट रूप से कहा कि उनके द्वारा पेड़ों पर पेंट नहीं कराया गया और इस संबंध में
कोई कार्यादेश भी जारी नहीं किया गया है। ऐसे में बड़ा सवाल यह उठता है कि आखिरकार
पेड़ों पर पेंटिंग किसने करवाई? अगर नगर निगम का दावा
सही है कि उन्होंने इस कार्य के लिए कोई आदेश जारी नहीं किया, तो इसका मतलब यह हुआ कि रायगढ़ में रहस्यमयी ताकतों यानी
‘भूतों’ ने रातों-रात पेड़ों की पेंटिंग कर दी! यही वजह है कि अब लोग इस मामले को
लेकर प्रशासन पर तंज कस रहे हैं। अधिकारियों की चुप्पी और
फाइलों का गायब होना! इस मामले की जांच और
जवाबदेही की मांग की गई थी, लेकिन अधिकारी इस पर कार्यवाही
करने से बच रहे हैं। मजे की बात यह है कि शिकायत होने तक इस कार्य का भुगतान नहीं
किया गया था, और चर्चा है कि इसलिए संबंधित
फाइल ही ‘गायब’ करा दी गई। जब सूचना के अधिकार
(आरटीआई) के तहत आवेदक ने 2 जनवरी 2025 को इस कार्य से संबंधित दस्तावेजों की मांग की, तो नगर निगम ने जवाब दिया कि उनके पास इस कार्य का कोई
रिकॉर्ड उपलब्ध नहीं है। इसके बाद 30 जनवरी 2025 को प्रथम अपील दायर की गई, जिसकी सुनवाई 28 फरवरी 2025 को निर्धारित की गई है। इस पूरे घटनाक्रम से नगर
निगम की भूमिका पर गंभीर सवाल उठ रहे हैं। अगर उन्होंने यह कार्य नहीं कराया, तो आखिर किसने किया?
और अगर किसी अन्य ने यह
किया, तो नगर निगम इसके खिलाफ कार्यवाही क्यों नहीं कर रहा? रायगढ़ के नागरिक इस
मामले में प्रशासन की निष्क्रियता से नाराज हैं और मांग कर रहे हैं कि दोषियों की
पहचान कर उनके खिलाफ सख्त कार्यवाही की जाए। क्या इस रहस्य से पर्दा उठेगा या यह
मामला यूं ही दबा दिया जाएगा,
यह देखने वाली बात होगी।
Moneylife: Mumbai: Thursday, April 3, 2025. A recent right to
information (RTI) query has exposed alarming irregularities in the installation
of hoardings on railway land in Mumbai, revealing that no ownership records
exist for 103 out of 306 hoardings. The findings point to the growing influence
of the hoarding mafia operating on land owned by the Central and Western
Railways, with municipal authorities failing to maintain transparency.
According to data provided
to RTI activist Anil Galgali under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by the
licensing superintendent’s office of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation
(BMC), there are 179 hoardings on Central Railway land and 127 hoardings on
Western Railway land. However, the ownership details of 68 hoardings on Central
Railway land and 35 on Western Railway land remain unidentified. The breakdown of hoardings
across different municipal wards further highlights the extent of the issue. On
Western Railway land, hoardings are spread across wards such as A, D, G South,
G North, K East, K West, P South, and R South, with 35 of them lacking
ownership details. Similarly, on Central Railway land, hoardings are installed
in wards including E, F South, G North, L, and T, where 68 hoardings are
unaccounted for. Following the Ghatkopar
hoarding collapse incident, Mr Galgali has urged railway authorities to ensure
transparency and strict compliance with municipal regulations. He also demanded
that any unauthorised hoardings be immediately removed, and action be taken
against those responsible. The issue is further
complicated by allegations of political and bureaucratic interference.
According to Mr Galgali, a senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer
was allegedly removed from the licensing department due to pressure from the
hoarding mafia. The move was reportedly linked to the officer’s positive stance
on the new advertising policy of the BMC, which could have disrupted the
financial dealings of vested interests in the hoarding industry, he says. With growing concerns over
safety, urban planning violations, and corruption, activists and citizens are
now calling for urgent intervention by the railway administration and the BMC
to bring accountability and curb the unchecked influence of illegal hoardings
in Mumbai.
Law Trend: New Delhi: Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The Supreme Court has taken
a stringent approach towards ensuring the effective implementation of the Right
to Information (RTI) Act by issuing showcause notices to all State Information
Commissions (SICs) across India. The notices demand an explanation for the non compliance
with the court’s earlier directive that mandated the adoption of hybrid hearing
options and e-filing for RTI applicants.
Justices JB Pardiwala and R
Mahadevan, overseeing the case, have ordered SICs to submit detailed compliance
reports by April 28, 2025. This action follows a contempt petition by advocate
Kishan Chand Jain, who argued that the SICs had not adhered to the Supreme
Court’s instructions laid out in an October 9, 2023, ruling. The October ruling was
pivotal in promoting accessibility for RTI litigants, particularly those from remote locations, by
reducing the need for travel through the provision of online hearings. The
court had set a clear deadline of December 31, 2023, for all SICs to implement
these hybrid hearings and establish e-filing systems, intending to streamline
the process and enhance the efficiency of the RTI framework. During the proceedings, the
bench emphasized the critical nature of the SICs’ role in upholding the fundamental
right to information. “We direct that all SICs across the country must provide
hybrid modes of hearing to all litigants for the hearing of complaints as well
as appeals,” the justices reiterated from their 2023 order. Moreover, the Supreme Court
had specified that virtual hearing links should be included in daily cause lists and had directed
state governments to allocate necessary funds for the requisite technological
infrastructure. These measures were designed to ensure that service of notices
on Public Information Officers
(PIOs) could also be managed electronically, thereby facilitating a more efficient
administrative process.
Telangana Today: Mancherial: Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Ravi Krishna denied the
information of outsourced employees in the district even as the applicant from
Mandamarri paid Rs.25,085 for it.
District Employment Officer
Ravi Krishna was booked on charges of duping an applicant by not providing
information through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, here on Tuesday. Ravi Krishna denied the
information of outsourced employees in the district even as the applicant from
Mandamarri paid Rs.25,085 for it. The applicant brought the issue to the notice
of the officials concerned, but in vain. He then approached a court in Mancherial
town, which in turn asked the police to register a case against the employment
officer.
Hindustan Times: Mumbai: Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The court was hearing a
petition filed by Accelerate Product Venture, a start-up which has a 24x7 store
in Pune named ‘New Shop’
The Bombay high court on
Tuesday restrained Pune police from coercing a 24x7 provision store to close by
11.00pm. Such stores are necessary to achieve progress commensurate with global
standards, the division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Advait Sethna said,
noting that there was neither any legal bar on stores remaining open round the
clock, not had the state imposed any restriction on such stores. The court was hearing a
petition filed by Accelerate Product Venture, a start-up which has a 24x7 store
in Pune named ‘New Shop’. The firm, which plans to open a chain of 24x7
convenience stores across the country, alleged that police officials in Kondhwa,
Pune were exercising power arbitrarily and coercing the shop to down its
shutters between 10pm and 11pm every day. The firm said it had
obtained all requisite permissions under the Maharashtra Shops and
Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017.
It had also sought details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding
restrictions on store timings from the industries, energy, and labour
department, but did not get any response, following which it approached the
high court. In court, the industries,
energy and labour department clarified that as per the Shops and Establishments
Act, 2017, there was no embargo on keeping provision stores open round the
clock. The Kondhwa police conceded that oral orders seeking the store’s closure
at night were issued out of confusion regarding prevailing rules and
regulations and concerns about law and order. The court said there was no
justification whatsoever for the Kondhwa police to impose any restrictions on
the store’s timings. “The concept of 24x7 shops
of such nature is a popular concept worldwide. It brings convenience, ease and
flexibility to the consumers to make purchases, more particularly for the
persons with non-standard working hours,” the court said, paving the way for
the store to remain open round-the-clock.
Times of India: Chandigarh: Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Recognising that every
citizen has the right to seek information provided the request is reasonable
and serves public interest the Punjab State Information Commission has warned
that the RTI Act, a key tool for transparency and accountability, should not be
misused for harassment or vendetta against public officials. These observations were made
by a bench comprising state information commissioners Virinderjit Singh Billing
and Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal while dismissing 24 appeals/complaints filed by a
Faridkot resident against multiple public authorities. The commission ruled
that the information sought was either exempt under RTI Act or aimed at
addressing personal grievances rather than serving public interest. Upon examination, the bench
found that the RTI applications were not only vague and ambiguous but also
lacked specificity, making it difficult for both the departments concerned and
the commission to determine the exact nature of the information sought. Many
requests were broad, unclear, and framed in a way that caused confusion rather
than promoting transparency, it said. The commission noted that such imprecise
applications placed undue burden on public authorities and hinder the
functioning of RTI framework. During the hearing, the
public information officer (PIO) of the executive officer, nagar council,
Jaiton, Faridkot district, submitted that the appellant repeatedly filed RTI
applications seeking personal information of govt employees with whom he had disputes.
PIO informed the commission that an FIR was registered against the appellant on
May 29, 2019, due to such conflicts. All cases were examined
separately, with departmental representatives making their submissions. Copies
of these submissions were provided to the appellant, who repeatedly pointed out
deficiencies and claimed the information was incomplete or unsatisfactory.
Despite being advised to inspect the records, the appellant refused, alleging
non-cooperation from the departments concerned. The commission noted that
the nature of RTI requests appeared vexatious, seemingly aimed at harassing
officials rather than seeking information in public interest. Dismissing the
appeals, it cited legal precedents set by the Supreme Court and high courts,
which have consistently emphasised that the RTI Act should not be misused. The commission issued a
strict warning to the appellant against filing frivolous and vexatious RTI
applications that waste public resources. It also advised concerned PIOs to
exercise their discretion under Section 7(9) of the RTI Act in the future to prevent
misuse. Furthermore, it directed any future RTI applications from the appellant
seeking similar information may be rejected if found vexatious or lacking
public interest. The appellant was advised to
ensure precision and specificity in future RTI applications and not misuse the
Act for personal vendetta. Considering the pattern of the applications and the
lack of public interest in these cases, penalties and compensations imposed on
officials in some of the appeals were dropped.
Times of India: Chennai: Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Tamil Nadu state information
commission is getting slower, sloppier and opaque. The panel disposed of 18,752
pending appeals last year, an increase of nearly 5,000 over the 13,850 appeals
disposed of in 2021. However, in the last three years, the pendency of appeals
has doubled from 21,657 to 44,906 as of Dec 2024.
What the numbers mean is
that petitions taken up by the information commission for hearing have gathered
dust for two to three years. This is after public information officers and
appellate authorities took 90 days to reject or not reply to the original petitions. In Dec 2024 alone, the
commission disposed of 1,317 petitions, of which 47% had been pending since
2022 and 33% since 2023. And, 8% of petitions were pending for three years.
"Do you think information sought in 2021 will have any value in 2024? It is
as good as the petitioner not getting anything at all," said M Kasimayan,
a city-based RTI activist. Kasimayan accused the information commission of
backdoor dealings with the public information officers to effectively kill the
RTI Act by rejecting requests to safeguard govt officers. Arappor Iyakkam, an
anti-graft NGO, recently highlighted how each information commissioner at the
headquarters was handling just 10 to 12 petitions a day, whereas judges in
Madras high court disposed of 50 petitions every day. Arappor wrote to the
state govt to fill two vacant information commissioner posts and increase the
sanctioned posts by four. It got a reply from the human resources dept that
filling the existing vacancies is under consideration, while increasing
sanctioned strength comes under the purview of govt policy. "There is no
transparency regarding the appointment of information commissioners either, as
the SC directions on the selection of information commissioners have been
ignored," said Jayaram Venkatesan, Arappor convener. The information commission
has not uploaded its annual reports for the last three years. A senior official
said the annual report for 2022 will be uploaded this week.
Times of India: Ahmedabad: Monday, March 31, 2025. The state police department
has disclosed through a Right to Information (RTI) response that 27 villages
across Gujarat are currently under police protection with some under protection
for more than a decade.
The RTI application was
filed by advocate Kaushik Parmar from Mehsana, seeking details on
police-protected villages in the state. The response, provided to
Parmar on March 21, points to the lingering effects of caste-based and communal
fissures. Among the villages under prolonged police protection is Lolia in
Bagodara taluka of Ahmedabad. Police presence has been in
place here since July 1, 2013, after the murder of a dalit man following a
dispute over open defecation. According to RTI documents and police sources, a
violent altercation took place when the victim was attacked over the issue,
resulting in the murders of two of his family members. Even after a decade,
authorities deem the village too volatile to lift the security cover. Another case that garnered
significant public attention is that of Mota Samadhiyala in Una taluka of
Gir-Somnath district, the site of the horrifying Una flogging case. In 2016, four brothers Ashok,
Vashram, Bechar and Ramesh Sarvaiya were stripped and publicly flogged by
self-proclaimed ‘gaurakshaks' (cow vigilantes) for skinning a dead cow. The incident triggered a
massive agitation and was even debated in the Lok Sabha. The RTI response from the
district superintendent of police stated that police protection continues in
the village due to ongoing tension and security threats. Gariadhar in Bhavnagar has
been under police protection since 2018, following violent clashes between
savarna and dalit communities over an electricity connection dispute. Fearing a
resurgence of violence, security forces continue to monitor the situation.
Expressing outrage over the findings, Parmar said, "It is a sorry state of
affairs in Gujarat where dalits have to live in fear. Until there is police
protection, they are safe. Otherwise, they will be attacked, tormented, and
tortured."
Hindustan Times: Chandigarh: Monday, March 31, 2025. Chief information
commissioner Vijai Vardhan and an information commissioner, Satyaveer Singh
Phulia, retired on March 24, An activist has called the situation
“unprecedented” and blamed the Haryana government for leaving the commission
‘lawaaris’ (orphaned).
Even as over 7,000 appeals
and complaints under the Right to Information (RTI) Act remain pending, the
post of chief information commissioner and as many as seven of the ten
sanctioned posts of information commissioners in the State Information
Commission, Haryana, are lying vacant. The number of vacant posts
rose last week after chief information commissioner Vijai Vardhan, former chief
secretary of Haryana and retired IAS, and Satyaveer Singh Phulia, also a
retired IAS and one of the information commissioners, completed their three
years of tenure on March 24. They took their posts on March 25, 2022, under the
then chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. According to the commission,
currently there are three information commissioners — Jagbir Singh, Pradeep
Kumar Shekhawat, and Kulbir Chhikara. Earlier, another information
commissioner, Jyoti Arora, a former IAS officer, retired from the panel in
January this year. According to an RTI reply
received on February 11, Panipat-based activist, PP Kapoor, found that 8,340
appeal cases were pending before the commission including the chief information
commissioner, in January last year. By December end, the number came down to
7,216. Kapoor claimed that it may take nearly eight years to resolve the
pending cases and said, “This is clear sign that the BJP government aims to
dilute the RTI act through back door.” Another RTI activist,
Bhupinder Kumar from Yamunanagar, called the situation “unprecedented” and
blamed the state government for leaving the commission “lawaaris” (orphaned). “The backlog of appeals and
complaints regarding non-disclosure of information by state government
departments is continuously growing. In some cases, even after nearly a year of
filing an appeal, a hearing date has not been assigned. In cases where a hearing
notice has been issued, only a new bench is mentioned instead of the name of
the information commissioner,” he said. He also questioned how the
commission was left “headless” for a week, despite prior knowledge that the
chief would step down on March 24. “The government has neither
appointed a new chief information commissioner nor gave additional charge to
any existing information commissioner, despite a letter by the secretary of the
information commission,” he said. According to the said
reminder letter dated March 24, 2025, (accessed by HT) sent to the chief
secretary, “The general superintendence, direction, and management of the State
Information Commission rest with the state chief information commissioner.” In the absence of a chief,
the secretary said that commission faces a crisis. Given the delays in
appointing a new chief, it has been requested that the charge be assigned to
senior information commissioner Pardeep Kumar Shekhawat, says the letter. Activist Kumar said that no
action has been taken so far. “In the past, during similar crises, the
responsibility of the chief information commissioner was assigned to senior
information commissioners, such as Urvashi Gulati and JS Kundu. At present, the
appointment of a new chief information commissioner or other information
commissioners seems unlikely as the selection committee must include a leader
of the Opposition. Currently, the Congress, the largest opposition party, is
yet to elect its legislative party leader,” he added. However, the non-appointment
of leader of largest opposition group in the state assembly delaying the
appointments in the commission has been settled by the Supreme Court in January
this year. Regarding a case of Jharkhand, a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant
had directed that the largest opposition group in the assembly would nominate
one of its elected members as a member of the selection committee for limited
purpose of selection to both the posts in the commission. A former state information
commissioner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the ongoing
situation would lead to prolonged delays for litigants and hinder justice. “In
fact, each appointment could take nearly three months to complete. I believe
this is the first time that such a situation has arisen, with no chief
information commissioner in place and seven other posts lying vacant,” he
added.
Legal Service India: Delhi: Monday, March 31, 2025.
In 2005, the right to
information (RTI) Act emerged as a pillar of hope for Indian democracy,
empowering citizens to hold powers accountable. Nearly two decades later, a new
shadow looms over this landmark law: Section 44 (3) of the digital personal
data protection Act (DPDP), 2023. Passed to safeguard personal data in an
increasingly digital world, the DPDP Act has sparked fierce debate with its
amendment to the RTI Act's section 8(1)(j). What was once a carefully
balanced exemption for personal information has been replaced with a blanket
shield, raising alarms among activists, journalists and citizens alike. Is this
a necessary step to protect privacy, as the government claims, or an assault on
transparency that could erode the RTI Act's essence? This article delves into
the specifies of the section 44 (3), its implications for the RTI Act, and the
broader clash between privacy and the public's right to know. As India
navigates this legal crossroads, the stakes couldn't be higher for its
democratic fabric. What is DPDP Act, 2023? The digital personal data
protection act 2023 (DPDP ACT) is a law enacted in India to regulate how
personal data is collected, stored, processed and managed. It aims to protect
individuals' privacy while ensuring that business and government can process data
responsibility. For Instance:suppose You have deactivate your Instagram
account or you may have deleted your photos , you may feel like you have
deleted your data , but the reality is much more complex , you are not
forgotten and your data is still persists somewhere that's why this particular
act was introduced that I have a right to be forgotten this is my data and I a
data principal users have the right to be forgotten . Understanding Section
44(3) Of The DPDP Act Section 44 (3) of the
Digital personal data protection Act ,2023, brings a significant change to the
right to information (RTI) Act, 2005. Specifically, it rewrites section 8(1)
(j) of the RTI Act, which deals with when information can be kept private. The
new rule is straightforward: any "personal information "can now be
withheld from the public, no exceptions needed. This means that if something is
considered personal like person's name, address, or other private details it
doesn't have to be shared, full stop. Compare this to the original
RTI rule, and the difference is stark. Earlier, personal information could
still be revealed if it served a larger public good like exposing corruption or
if sharing it didn't unfairly invade someone's privacy. Authorities had to
weigh these factors carefully before saying no. Now, that balance is gone.
Section 44(3) makes it simpler for officials to block requests by just calling
the information "personal", without explaining why it should stay
hidden. it's a shift that sounds small but changes a lot. How The RTI Act Under
Threat? The amendment introduced by
Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act weakens the transparency that the Right to
Information (RTI) Act, 2005, was built to protect. Under the original RTI law,
authorities could only withhold personal information if it didn't serve the
public interest or if sharing it would wrongly invade someone's privacy. That
test is now gone. With the new rule, officials can simply label information as
"personal" and refuse to share it no justification required. This
makes it far easier for them to deny requests, reducing the accountability the
RTI Act once ensured. For example, imagine a
public official involved in misconduct, like misusing funds. Before, citizens
could use the RTI Act to access details about their actions if it mattered to
the public. Now, those same details could be hidden by calling them "personal,"
even if they affect everyone. This shift closes doors that were once open. The privacy argument: On the other side of the
debate, supporters of Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act argue it strengthens a key
right. In 2017, the Supreme Court of India declared privacy a fundamental
right, a decision that reshaped how we view personal information. The DPDP Act,
including this amendment, aligns with that ruling by putting a stronger shield
around people's private details. In today's digital age where data breaches and
misuse are all too common the intent is to protect citizens from having their
personal lives exposed without good reason. For instance, details like
someone's bank account or health records shouldn't be easily accessed, and the
DPDP Act aims to ensure that. However, this protection
comes with a catch. The amendment doesn't strike a balance between privacy and
the public's right to know. Unlike the original RTI Act, which allowed personal
information to be shared when it served a greater good, Section 44(3) offers no
such middle ground. Critics say this all-or-nothing approach goes too far,
safeguarding privacy at the cost of transparency. While the goal of data
protection is valid, the lack of flexibility raises questions about whether the
cure might harm more than it heals. Implications For
Democracy The changes brought by
Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act ripple far beyond legal texts they strike at the
heart of India's democracy. The RTI Act, 2005, gave citizens the power to watch
over those in charge, ensuring public oversight kept authorities in check. Now,
with personal information easier to hide, that power weakens. Less access to
information means less ability to question decisions or spot wrongdoing. Worse
still, this opens the door for misuse. Officials could bury inconvenient truths
say, about mismanaged projects or favoritism by simply calling them
"personal," dodging accountability altogether. This shift pulls away
from the RTI's core belief: transparency should come first. For a country like India,
where democracy thrives on active citizens and an open government, this is a
big deal. The RTI Act has long been a tool to uphold those values, exposing
corruption and empowering people. Globally, nations grapple with the same tug-of-war
between protecting data and keeping governance open. While privacy matters,
tilting too far from transparency risks dimming the democratic spirit India has
worked hard to build. Section 44(3) forces us to ask: can we protect one right
without wounding another? Conclusion Section 44(3) of the DPDP
Act pits two vital rights against each other: the need to protect privacy and
the duty to keep government open. The goal of safeguarding personal data in a
digital world is worthy no one wants their private details misused. Yet, the
amendment's heavy-handed approach threatens to dim the RTI Act's shine. For years, this law has
uncovered corruption, given citizens a voice, and held democracy together. Now,
by making it easier to hide information, that legacy is at risk. As the DPDP
Act waits for its final rules, India faces a crucial choice. Can it find a way
to balance privacy and transparency, or will secrecy take over? The answer isn't clear yet,
but the stakes are. Activists and everyday people keep sounding the alarm,
reminding us that the right to know isn't just a perk it's a foundation of
trust between citizens and those in power. If that foundation cracks under the
weight of privacy concerns, we might lose more than we gain. It's a tension
worth wrestling with: how do we stay safe without shutting out the light?
A man allegedly extorting
money from people by filing applications under the Right to Information (RTI)
Act was booked by Akota police. This was the third offence against him in as
many days. Police registered a case of
extortion and criminal intimidation against Dahya Rajput, a resident of
Karodiya. According to the police,
Rajput was threatening to file police and court cases against a businessman and
demanding money from him. Rajput already extorted Rs 5 lakhs from the
complainant Ramesh Dabgar, who works for the businessman, said police. Dabgar told
the police that Rajput began harassing him again and demanded Rs 40 lakh for
not filing cases against the businessman. Rajput was earlier booked by
Chhani and Gorwa police three days ago on charges of extortion and issuing
threats. The Chhani police said that Rajput filed several cases in various
courts for a piece of land with which he had no connection. He then extorted
lakhs of rupees from the landowners and also threatened to harm them if he
wasn't paid Rs 75 lakh. "Rajput uses the RTI Act to get information on
different lands and then uses it to extort money from the owners," the
police said. A similar complaint was
filed against Rajput at Gorwa police station, wherein he took signatures of
some landowners on a document and then harassed them by filing cases in various
govt offices. Rajput demanded money from the owners, following which they approached
the police. He was arrested by the police on Friday. City police commissioner
Narasimha Komar said, "If Rajput extorted money from other people, they
should come forward and file a complaint against him. We will take appropriate
legal action against him," said Komar.
INSIGHTS IAS: New Delhi: Sunday, March 30, 2025. Context: Discovery of
unaccounted cash at Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma’s residence has
renewed debate on mandatory disclosure of judges’ assets.
About Asset Declaration
Norms for Judges:
Restatement of Values of
Judicial Life (1997)
Judges must declare all
movable and immovable assets (in their name, spouse’s or dependents’) to the
Chief Justice.
It does not mandate public
disclosure.
Supreme Court Resolution
(2009)
Judges’ asset disclosures
were made voluntarily available on the Supreme Court’s website.
No statutory compulsion;
updates have ceased since 2018.
RTI Act Interpretation
(2019)
Supreme Court ruled that
judges’ asset details do not constitute personal information, bringing them
within the RTI ambit.
Judicial Standards and
Accountability Bill, 2010
Proposed mandatory public
declaration of assets by judges.
Bill lapsed with the
dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha; never reintroduced.
Parliamentary Committee
Recommendation (2023)
Urged the introduction of
legislation to ensure mandatory disclosures by SC and HC judges.
Awaiting legislative action.
About Asset Declaration
by Public Officials:
RTI Act, 2005
Promotes transparency;
citizens can access details of public servants’ assets via RTI applications.
All India Services (Conduct)
Rules, 1968
Rule 16(1): Mandatory annual
declaration of assets and liabilities to the cadre-controlling authority.
Political Candidates &
MPs/MLAs
Based on SC ruling (2002),
mandatory disclosure at the time of nomination.
Submitted to Speaker (Lok
Sabha) or Chairperson (Rajya Sabha); publicly accessible.
Union Ministers &
Bureaucrats
Declare assets to PMO or
respective state departments.
Information is often
published online (e.g., PMO website, IAS officers list).
The Probe: New Delhi: Sunday, March 30, 2025. India-China border dispute:
RTI activist Ajay Kumar seeks LAC data, but MEA evasions and MoD secrecy hide
territorial truths, betraying citizens’ right to know.
The India-China border
dispute remains a persistent scar on India’s sovereignty, a six-decade struggle
spanning the stark, windswept plateaus of Aksai Chin and the lush, misty ridges
of Arunachal Pradesh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The LAC, a
sprawling 3,488-kilometer frontier, remains a contested boundary where national
honour collides with territorial ambiguity, military might, and diplomatic
deadlock. When Bengaluru-based lawyer
and RTI activist Ajay Kumar sought precise, year-wise data on Chinese
occupation of Indian territory, he expected transparency from a government
tasked with defending the nation’s borders. Instead, he encountered a chilling
wall of evasion and secrecy. Responses from the Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) to his Right to Information (RTI) queries one
claiming no records exist, the other shrouded in security exemptions reveal a
profound betrayal of accountability. This story unravels the
government’s obfuscation, traces the deep historical roots of India’s border
struggle from its own perspective, examines the undeniable right of voting,
tax-paying citizens to know the truth, and probes the stakes of silence in the
ongoing India-China standoff. Kumar’s pursuit was both
straightforward and critical: to map the extent of Chinese control over Indian
land across nine pivotal dates, from the 1962 Sino-Indian War to the present.
His RTIs, filed with the MEA on February 6, 2025, and the MoD shortly thereafter,
aimed to pierce the fog enveloping the LAC a line neither India nor China fully
agrees upon, its contours shifting with each clash and negotiation. What he
uncovered was not data but a disturbing pattern: the MEA dodged with vague
denials, while the MoD retreated behind legal barriers. As China fortifies its
presence with roads, villages, and outposts, and India scrambles to counter,
these responses raise a haunting question: does the government know or dare to
admit how much of India’s territory has been lost to its northern neighbour? The MEA’s Evasive
Retreat: A Ministry Without Answers Kumar’s first RTI, submitted
to the MEA, demanded a granular timeline of Chinese occupation across key
moments in the India-China border dispute. He specified nine dates: October 19,
1962 (the eve of the 1962 war), November 21, 1962 (its conclusion), May 4, 2020
(the prelude to the Galwan Valley clash), and annual markers from January 21,
2020, through 2024, culminating with the present day. His request sought the
“total amount of Sovereign Indian Territory under military occupation or
otherwise by the People’s Republic of China” at each point, aiming to uncover
whether India has ceded or reclaimed ground over six decades of tension. The MEA’s reply, dated
February 27, 2025, from Dr. Vikram Krisnamoorthy, Deputy Secretary (China) and
Central Public Information Officer, was a textbook case of bureaucratic
sidestepping. Lumping all nine questions into a single, cursory response,
Krisnamoorthy pointed to two Lok Sabha statements: one from February 4, 2022,
asserting that China has illegally occupied approximately 38,000 square
kilometers in Ladakh since the 1960s, and another from March 11, 2020, noting
China’s claim to roughly 90,000 square kilometers in Arunachal Pradesh. Beyond
these static figures, the reply states, “The CPIO is not in possession of any
further information on these,” adding that the CPIO is “under obligation to
provide an applicant only that information which exists in records.” Kumar was stunned by the
response. “The MEA’s vague response signals a reluctance to disclose detailed,
time-specific information about Chinese occupation,” he told The Probe. “If the
MEA cannot quantify occupation over time, it suggests a weak grasp of the LAC’s
status potentially emboldening China, which has aggressively built
infrastructure in disputed areas.” He pressed further with a
barrage of questions: “The problem is that we don’t know where India’s current
operational border is with China. There is no border treaty and there is no
agreed line. There is the Line of Actual Control, but the LAC only exists in
certain places. We don’t know whether the LAC has changed. It’s a very simple
question: what has been the extent of Chinese occupation over time? Have we
been able to take back territories in some sectors, or have we lost territory?
Who holds the information? If not the MEA, does the Ministry of Defence or
intelligence agencies have the answers, and why wasn’t the RTI redirected? Are
losses being concealed? Is the government hiding post-Galwan encroachments to
avoid political backlash?” The implications of this
evasiveness are profound. The MEA’s reliance on outdated parliamentary replies neither
of which address developments since 2020 sidesteps Kumar’s demand for a
year-by-year accounting of territorial control. If such records are not
maintained, it represents a staggering failure for a ministry responsible for
India’s diplomatic relations and border negotiations. If the data exists elsewhere,
such as with the MoD or intelligence agencies, Section 6(3) of the RTI Act
mandates that the query be transferred to the appropriate authority a step the
MEA conspicuously ignored. This refusal to provide clarity hints at a troubling
possibility: either the government lacks the capacity to track changes along
the LAC, or it is deliberately withholding information, perhaps to mask
incremental losses that could spark public outrage or weaken its diplomatic
stance with China. The MoD’s Wall of
Secrecy: Hiding Behind Exemptions Undeterred by the MEA’s
non-answer, Kumar filed an identical RTI with the Ministry of Defence (MoD),
seeking the same year-wise data on Chinese occupation. The response, received
in March 2025, took a sharply different approach: invoking Section 8(1)(a) of
the RTI Act which exempts information that could prejudice India’s sovereignty,
integrity, or security the MoD refused to disclose any details. Unlike the
MEA’s claim of ignorance, the MoD suggested it possesses the requested
information but considers it too sensitive for public release, offering no
specific justification beyond the boilerplate legal citation. “I was shocked to receive
the response from the Ministry of Defence,” Kumar said. “What I have asked is
only the extent of Chinese occupation. I have not asked any operational
details. My question is, does a citizen not have the right to know how much of
our country has been occupied by an enemy country? I will be going for a first
appeal under the RTI Act. How are two arms of the government of India giving me
two different pieces of information on the same matter?” The MoD’s position, while
legally permissible, raises serious questions about its application. Section
8(1)(a) requires that exemptions be justified with specificity why, exactly,
does disclosing the extent of Chinese occupation threaten national security? Is
it tied to ongoing military operations, sensitive intelligence, or delicate
diplomatic talks with China? Without such an explanation, the refusal smacks of
a convenient shield for concealment. “Without knowing where India’s operational
border stands with China, how can citizens hold the government accountable?
Have we lost ground since Galwan? Have we regained territory through diplomacy?
The silence on India-China border dispute is deafening,” Kumar argued. The stark contrast between
the MEA’s “we don’t know” and the MoD’s “we won’t tell” exposes a troubling
disconnect within the government. If the MEA truly lacks detailed records, how
can the MoD justify withholding what it presumably holds? This inconsistency
suggests either a lack of coordination between two critical ministries or a
deliberate strategy to obscure the truth about the LAC’s status. For a nation
locked in a protracted territorial standoff with a formidable adversary, such
secrecy undermines the RTI Act’s promise of transparency, leaving citizens whose
taxes fund the military defending these borders, without the basic facts they
deserve. Historical Fault Lines: A
Saga of Lost Ground The India-China border
dispute is a wound etched deep into India’s national consciousness, a
six-decade tale of betrayal, loss, and unrelenting resolve shaped by its
historical struggle. India’s claim to its northern frontier traces back to the
colonial era, forged by treaties and surveys that delineated its boundaries
with Tibet, then a buffer state between British India and a fading Qing China.
The 1914 Simla Conference gave birth to the McMahon Line, a boundary separating
Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet, agreed upon by British and Tibetan
representatives in a bilateral accord, though rejected by China, which refused
to recognise Tibet’s authority to negotiate. China, under a faltering
republican government in 1914, rejected the McMahon Line as an imperialist
imposition, laying the groundwork for decades of discord. When India gained
independence in 1947, it inherited this line as its northeastern border, viewing
Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of its sovereign territory a stance later
challenged by China’s communist regime. Similarly, Aksai Chin a desolate,
high-altitude expanse in Ladakh was claimed as part of Jammu and Kashmir, based
on 19th-century surveys like those of W.H. Johnson, which placed it within
British India’s domain. Tensions simmered in the
1950s as China, under Mao Zedong’s communist regime, built a strategic road
through Aksai Chin to connect Xinjiang and Tibet. India confirmed this
incursion in 1957 through aerial reconnaissance and patrols, igniting
diplomatic protests and public outrage. From India’s vantage, it was a flagrant
breach of sovereignty; China insisted Aksai Chin had long been its territory a
claim India deemed baseless. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, once a fervent
advocate of Sino-Indian friendship through the 1954 Panchsheel Agreement,
shifted course by the early 1960s, adopting the ‘forward policy’ to establish
outposts and assert control. This collided with China’s territorial ambitions,
paving the way for the 1962 Sino-Indian War. On October 20, 1962, China
launched a coordinated assault across the LAC, overwhelming India’s thinly
stretched defenses in the western sector (Aksai Chin) and the eastern sector
(Arunachal Pradesh). By November 20–21, when China declared a unilateral ceasefire,
it had secured Aksai Chin approximately 38,000 square kilometers cementing its
hold over territory India claimed, leaving the nation reeling from a
humiliating defeat. From India’s standpoint, this was a betrayal of trust, a
stark violation of the Panchsheel principles of mutual respect and
non-aggression that Nehru had championed. The war laid bare India’s military
unpreparedness, shattered the dream of peaceful coexistence, and left a scar on
the nation’s psyche that endures to this day. The aftermath deepened
India’s sense of loss. In 1963, China signed a border pact with Pakistan,
ceding 5,180 square kilometers of the Shaksgam Valley claimed by India as part
of Kashmir to Chinese control, further eroding India’s territorial integrity in
the years following 1962. Over the decades, intermittent clashes kept the
dispute alive. In 1975, a Chinese ambush at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh
killed four Indian soldiers, serving as a grim reminder of unresolved tensions.
A decade later, the 1987 Sumdorong Chu standoff saw India deploy troops to
counter Chinese incursions near the McMahon Line, prompting China’s
de-escalation after months of brinkmanship an episode India regards as a rare
assertion of resolve. The 1993 Agreement on
Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility sought to stabilise the LAC, but its
refusal to fix a clear boundary preserved a breeding ground for disputes. India
sees China’s moves as calculated expansionism encroaching on contested zones,
erecting infrastructure, and exploiting ambiguity to dominate while casting its
own stance as a defense of rightful inheritance against a neighbour’s
aggression. Decades later, the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, where 20 Indian
soldiers fell in brutal hand-to-hand combat, rekindled this historical
grievance. From India’s view, it
violated the spirit of bilateral pacts, like the 1996 accord banning firearms
at the LAC, laying bare China’s disregard for trust. The dispute endures as a
battle to reclaim lost honour and territory, a struggle against a neighbour wielding
stealth and force to reshape borders. Yet, the government’s refusal to release
clear, current data evident in responses to activist Ajay Kumar’s RTIs leaves
this story unfinished: how much more has India lost since 1962, and why is this
truth concealed? The Right to Know:
Voting, Tax-Paying Citizens Deserve Clarity At the heart of Kumar’s RTIs
lies a fundamental democratic principle: the right of voting, tax-paying
citizens to know the truth about their nation’s sovereignty. India’s democracy
thrives on its people citizens who cast ballots to shape national policy and
pay taxes to fund the military that guards the LAC. The RTI Act of 2005 was a
landmark in this covenant, empowering every Indian to demand accountability
from a government often cloaked in bureaucratic opacity. Kumar’s queries how
much territory has China occupied, and when? strike at the core of this right. Sovereignty is not an
abstract concept; it is the land the citizens live on, defend, and sustain
through their contributions. A voting citizen’s ballot influences decisions on
war, peace, and border security; a taxpayer’s money equips the soldiers patrolling
Ladakh’s frozen heights or Arunachal’s rugged terrain. Yet, the MEA’s claim of
“no further information” and the MoD’s security exemption deny them the facts
needed to judge their government’s stewardship. “Without updated data,
lawmakers and citizens cannot assess whether diplomatic or military efforts
have reclaimed territory or ceded more ground, hampering informed policy
debates,” Kumar noted. This is not about sensitive operational details troop
movements or weapon placements but the basic reality of territorial control, a
truth every citizen has a stake in understanding. India’s Constitution
enshrines equality, justice, and the right to information bolstered by the RTI
Act as pillars of governance, principles that ring hollow when the state
withholds vital truths. The late October 2024 disengagement in Depsang and
Demchok, announced before the BRICS Summit and hailed by Foreign Minister S.
Jaishankar in early 2025 as a step toward de-escalation, loses its weight
without data on what India lost or regained. China’s relentless buildup roads,
villages like those near Pangong Tso, and outposts along the LAC casts a shadow
over India’s countermeasures, such as the Vibrant Villages Program to
strengthen border hamlets. Yet, without clear metrics, citizens remain
powerless to judge their effectiveness or hold leaders accountable for triumphs
or setbacks. This opacity carries high
stakes. India’s role in global alliances, such as the Quad with the U.S.,
Japan, and Australia, hinges on its ability to counter China a role undermined
if its border status remains a mystery. Domestically, the government’s silence
risks political fallout, especially with state elections or future national
polls on the horizon, as citizens question whether territorial losses are being
concealed to deflect criticism. Kumar’s frustration is visceral: “The problem
is that we don’t know where India’s current operational border is with China.”
For a voting, tax-paying citizen, this uncertainty is intolerable knowledge of
their nation’s boundaries is not a privilege to be doled out by officials but a
right inherent to their citizenship. The RTI Act was designed to
bridge this gap, ensuring that national security does not become a blanket
excuse for secrecy. Yet, the government’s responses tip the scales toward
concealment, eroding trust. Citizens who fund and elect their leaders deserve
to know if the LAC has shrunk, if Galwan’s scars linger in lost ground, or if
diplomacy has clawed back what war stole. Without this, democracy falters, and
the India-China border dispute becomes not just a military challenge but a test
of governance itself a test India’s leaders are failing by keeping their people
in the dark. A Frontier Shrouded in
Secrecy The India-China border
dispute is a saga of historical betrayals, modern clashes, and a government
unwilling to face its citizens with the truth. Kumar’s RTIs sought a simple,
vital answer: how much of India has China taken, and when? The MEA’s evasiveness
and the MoD’s secrecy don’t merely dodge the question they betray the trust of
voting, tax-paying Indians who sustain this nation. As China fortifies its grip
with infrastructure and India counters in shadows, the LAC’s shifts remain
hidden, a frontier lost not just to an adversary but to a government’s refusal
to disclose. In the India-China standoff, transparency is the first casualty,
and the Indian people whose votes and taxes uphold the state are the last to
know.
INSIGHTS IAS: New Delhi: Sunday, March 30, 2025. Context: Activists and
Opposition leaders have raised alarm over Section 44(3) of the Digital Personal
Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, citing threats to transparency under the
Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
About Section 44(3) of the
Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act: What is Section 44(3)?
This clause amends Section
8(1)(j) of the RTI Act to restrict disclosure of personal information, removing
earlier safeguards like public interest tests and legislative access
exceptions.
Features of the Clause: Replaces the original
wording with a broader exemption:
“(j) information which
relates to personal information.”
Removes clauses that:
Balanced privacy with public
interest,
Allowed disclosure if
information was relevant to public activity,
Mandated non-denial of info
to citizens if not denied to Parliament.
Why It’s Controversial?
It expands the scope of
denial under RTI.
About Section 8(1)(j) of the
Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005: What is Section 8?
Lists exemptions where
public authorities can refuse disclosure of certain information.
Key Exemptions under
Section 8(1):
National security and
sovereignty (Clause a)
Judicial restrictions or
contempt of court (Clause b)
Parliamentary privilege
(Clause c)
Commercial confidence or IP
(Clause d)
Fiduciary relationships
(Clause e)
Foreign government
communications (Clause f)
Threat to life or safety of
informants (Clause g)
Ongoing investigations
(Clause h)
Cabinet deliberations
(Clause i)
Personal information with
public interest override (Clause j)
Impact of DPDP’s Section
44(3) on RTI Act’s Section 8(1)(j):
Dilutes transparency by
eliminating the public interest balancing clause.
Hampers access to key data
on public officials’ assets, salaries, and misconduct cases.
Overrides judicial
precedents that interpreted Section 8(1)(j) in favour of public disclosure.
May lead to blanket denials
of legitimate information requests, weakening democratic accountability.
Medical Dialogues: New Delhi: Saturday, March 29, 2025. The healthcare system in the national capital is
grappling with a severe shortage of specialist doctors. Nearly 17% of medical officer posts, 38% of non-teaching specialist posts, and 22% of teaching specialist
positions remain vacant at government hospitals in Delhi, as per recent data
obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query.
The RTI application filed by Dr Aman Kaushik has exposed
shocking data, highlighting a growing crisis in the public healthcare sector in
the capital. With patient footfall significantly higher than in other states,
the shortage of staff is forcing doctors to work longer hours to make up for
the gap, leading to mental and physical exhaustion. It is also severely
affecting both patient care and medical education standards. In his RTI query, Dr Kaushik sought detailed information
regarding the staffing situation in various medical cadres. He requested data
on the total number of sanctioned posts and the current vacancies in the
Medical Officer, Non-Teaching Specialist, and Teaching Specialist cadres. According to the RTI response, 234 out of 1,364
sanctioned posts in the medical officer cadre across Delhi government hospitals
are unfilled, 281 out of 729 approved positions in the non-teaching specialist
cadre remain unoccupied, and 132 out of 583 sanctioned teaching specialist
posts are lying vacant. 'However 232 dossier of GDMOs and 109 dossier of NTS has
been received from UPSC, and their posting is under process,' the response
added. Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Aman Kaushik said,
"These vacancies are indirectly impacting medical education and healthcare
system in Delhi hospitals. I would request the Delhi Health Department to fill
up these posts and solve this issue." "Due to the lack of adequate specialist doctors,
government hospitals are forced to increasingly depend on senior resident
doctors to fill the gap," he pointed out. Further, commenting on the matter, Dr. Rohan Krishnan,
Chief Patron of the Federation of Indian Medical Associations (FAIMA) told
Medical Dialogues, "The shortage of doctors is affecting both doctors and
patients because they rely on each other. With fewer doctors in government
hospitals, the quality of care patients receive is impacted. Patients often complain about not getting proper
treatment or not finding enough doctors, which sometimes leads to violence
against doctors. The main reason for this rising violence is the lack of
doctors." Sharing his own experience, he said, "I remember
during my graduation, I was told that even though we had resources for 100
people, we had to treat 10,000 patients. This shows how overburdened doctors
are, which takes a toll on their mental health. They struggle to care for
themselves and their families. At the same time, patients expect proper treatment,
even though many doctor positions remain vacant at government hospitals." Medical Dialogues team had reported that the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare raised serious
concerns over the acute staff shortage at the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, and several other top hospitals in the national
capital. The report revealed that AIIMS Delhi, one of India’s premier medical
institutions, is operating with significant faculty and non-faculty vacancies,
leading to increased workload and long waiting periods for patients. Apart from AIIMS, the committee’s findings also indicated
that several other government hospitals in Delhi are struggling with staff
shortages. The gaps in staffing have led to longer waiting times, reduced
patient care quality, and increased workload on available healthcare
professionals.
Traditional salt farmers from Little Raan of kutch
NEW RTI ON WHEELS
सूचना अधिकार यात्रा-२०१३ के प्रथम चरणका गुजरात के साबरकांठा जिलेके खेडब्रह्मा से आरम्भ किया गया. इस तह्सिलके ४० से ज्यादा गाँव के लोग यात्रासे जुड़े. लोगोंने सूचना के अधिकार के बारेमें जानकारी पाई, और अपने कामके लिए आवेदन दायर भी करवाया.
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
VADI VASAHAT- THARAD
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
RTI TRIBAL YATRA 2013
NEW RTI ON WHEELS
NEW RTI ON WHEELS
NEW RTI ON WHEELS
'यशदा' पुणे कार्यशाला
RTI ON WHEELS का अनुभव शेर करते हुए माहिती अधिकार स्वयंसेवक सु.श्री.साधना पंड्या
RTI ACT-2005 Workshop Held at JAU, Junagadh Agricultural University on Dt.27 March, 2012
RTI ACT-2005 Workshop
Held at Junagadh Agricultural University
Vice Chancellor of JAU Shri N C Patel
Association for India's Dev.
Safar: Along Roads Less Traveled (2012 Calendar)
RTI YOUTH FESTIVAL
F.D.SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
F D SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AHMEDABAD - Youth Fest. RTI
F D SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AHMEDABAD - Youth Fest. RTI
F D SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AHMEDABAD - Youth Fest. RTI
RTI CAMP AT JASDAN GUJARAT
BHARAT NIRMAN - BY PIB
BHARAT NIRMAN SAMMELAN BY PIB
YUVANINO MIZAZ ANE MAHITI ADHIKAR
RTI ON WHEELS AT AMARAIWADI
Central Chief Information CommissionerShri Wajahat Habibullah VISIT RTI on Wheels
Wheels was invited for a demonstration during this workshop. Central Chief Information Commissioner Shri Wajahat Habibullah appreciated this innovation gave his best wishes for future programmes. CIC was keen to know about RTI on Wheels experience in Remote and rural areas.