CIC to issue directions to public authorities

Express News Service: Tue Nov 16 2010,

Chandigarh : A need for better record management, categorization of documents in terms of what can be voluntarily disclosed and what cannot be and use of technology, these are some of the directions to be issued by the Central Information Commission to the public authorities.

The directions state that although RTI has been in place for five years, a key element of the law, voluntary disclosure by public authorities has not been fully implemented.

For this certain steps need to be taken.

The secrecy in functioning should be the exception and not the norm. A sort of negative list, a list of documents which a public authority is not in a position to bring into open category should be prepared.

The records should be computerised in a phased manner to availability of resources. CIC has further directed that the information in compliance with Section 4 obligation by public authorities shall be uploaded on a portal to be set up for this purpose by CIC.

Within 30 days of the order reaching the public authorities one of the senior officers would be designated as transparency officer.

The task of this officer would be to oversee implementation of Section 4, be interface of CIC, help promote congenial conditions for positive and timely response to RTI requests and be the contact person for all RTI-related matters.

Information Commissioner Deepak Sandhu who was in the city on Monday stated that there is a need for greater transparency.

“The system should become so transparent and information be readily available so that people need to file less RTIs.

The Act has redefined the relation between the governing and the governed. It has empowered people at the grassroots,” Deepak Sandhu said.