‘Our state gets most RTI appeals’

DNA: Mumbai: Monday, June 11, 2012.

It’s his first day in office and Ratnakar Gaikwad, the state’s chief information commissioner (SCIC), already has a few things lined up. In an interview with DNA, Gaikwad talks about the role of civil society, the initiatives he will take up, the mindset in the bureaucracy that is hindering the act, the large number of pending appeals and the state’s failure in disposing them.

In your mind, what have you given the highest priority to?

I think training Public Information Officers (PIOs) is the most important thing, and pivotal to the success of the Right To Information (RTI) Act. If they do their job properly, fewer appeals will be filed. I’m also looking at involving civil society; there needs to be greater awareness of the RTI among them. Pushing public authorities to suo-motto declare information is another goal. I will push them to update the website on a weekly basis. Even secretaries are reluctant to share information with heads of other departments. There is a general mindset that information should not be given out.

There have been complaints of “no voluntary disclosure” in all annual reportsof the State Information Commission (SIC), but not been change. How do you intend to make voluntary disclosure work this time around?

I need to discuss this in detail with other commissioners too. We need to understand what the constraints are, what is lacking and what the shortcomings of the PIOs are. Their difficulties need to be understood. If the measures are strengthened, they can be taken up. Like I said, the problem is the mindset of people. I understand Anna Hazare when he says that the collectors (the bureaucracy) believe they are kings and not public. Their post was created by the British to collect taxes, and thus, thismindset has not changed.

Have you set any targets to bring the number of pending appeals down?

Pendency is a problem. Maharashtra gets the largest number of RTI requests. Yes, the percentage of clearing appeals is the least here. If there are 11,000 appeals filed every year, at least 3,500 are disposed and fresh appeals take the pendency to 13,000. In terms of percentage, the record ends up getting worse.