Assam
Tribune: Dimapur: Monday, October 08, 2012.
Terming the
introduction of the Right to Information Act 2005 by the Central Government as
a ‘landmark in the history of the country’, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio
said the full implementation of the Act depends on its responsible utilisation
by every citizen.
Addressing a
gathering at the launch of the RTI Week 2012 at the Civil Secretariat
Conference Hall here on Friday, Rio pointed out that the RTI Act was launched
by the Central Government with an objective to check corruption and promote
good governance. The intent of RTI is to dismantle the tradition of secrecy and
maintain transparency and accountability, thereby putting a check on
corruption, he said.
He, however,
underlined that the utilisation of RTI by citizens should be with good
intention lest it should create chaos and misunderstanding. “The intention
should be to check corruption, otherwise democracy will change to mobocracy and
system will not function as it would create chaos and misunderstanding,” he
said, adding that people asking questions need to have a basis and intent of
benefit of the people and for the society.
The Act was
introduced in Nagaland only in 2006 and Rio said the Nagaland Information
Commission initially struggled. However, he said it has since been doing well
and the people of the State have also been filing regular RTIs while also
maintaining that the action taken report is impressive.
Seven years
of RTI in the State has been good, the Chief Minister stated, while expressing
the hope that the younger generation would use this platform to keep the
Government departments on their toes and to bring about a system of good
governance where records are maintained properly.
Commenting on
the community strength in Naga society, Rio said it plays a vital role in
assuring accountability and transparency. He, however, regretted that of late
Village Councils and VDBs have started going to courts due to lack of
transparency and accountability. “If we make good use of RTI, it will be good
for our society,” he said.
Congratulating
the NIC members on the RTI Week 2012 and also for bringing out the RTI theme
song titled ‘Adhikar Janibo Lage’ and drama ‘My Right, My Voice’ in DVD format
while releasing the same, the CM further appealed the NIC to create awareness
on the proper utilisation of the RTI Act not only for personal benefit but to
bring about good governance.
State Chief
Information Commissioner Lalhuma, in his address, said effective implementation
of RTI Act 2005 is the collective responsibility of the political executive,
the bureaucracy, the public, NGOs, media and the NIC and the extent to which
‘we can corporately effect transparency in the functioning of the government
machinery will determine whether or not good governance will be brought about’.
He also
informed that the number of RTI applications, appeals and complaints in the
State have registered a fairly significant rise and said that the trend is
likely to continue.
.JPG)
.JPG)
