Odisha: 5 Strategy evolved to make available RTI services through Common Service Centres

Orissadiary.com: Bhubaneswar: Sunday, November 04, 2012.

In a step forward towards good governance, the Nodal Department of Information and Public Relations for implementation of the RTI in Odisha has evolved an appropriate strategy to make available RTI Services through Common Service Centres (CSCs) put in place at Panchayat level all over the State. These citizen-centric services will enable the common man applying the tool of RTI and increase the access of citizen for obtaining information remaining under the control of public authorities in a more convenient and easier manner.

RTI services like downloading the forms, on-line application, making e-payment, checking status of RTI application, accessing the pro-active disclosure made under Section-4 of the RTI Act, 2005 and getting information on important policies and programmes of the Government of Odisha will be delivered through these centres integrating the RTI Central Monitoring Mechanism, available at www.rtiodisha.gov.in, a robust IT intervention already effected in the process of RTI implantation in Odisha.

This IT initiative has already won the prestigious National Awards for E-governance for the year-2011-12. Prior to this distinction this mechanism brought crowning glory to the state winning INDIA e-GOV 2.0 Awards as the best Government Portal in the whole country. While studying this initiative, the World Bank termed it “truly impressive” in entire South Asia.

In order to prepare a complete blue-print of this innovative strategy, a meeting was convened on the instruction of Shri P.K. Jena, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government and Nodal Officer, RTI Odisha, at Lok Sampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar on 2nd November, 2012 involving all stake holders. While conducting this meeting, Shri Debendra Prasad Das, Director, Information and Public Relations Department stressed on the proper implementation of the programme for the benefit of the citizen seeking information through RTI and to make the strategy pragmatic through meaningful co-ordination among the operating agencies, Content Service Provider of RTI Portal, OCAC and State RTI Implementation Cell.

Among others the representatives of OCAC, Service Centre Agencies, namely M/s SREI Sahej e-Village Ltd., M/s Bhartiya Samruddhi Finance Ltd (BASIX) , M/s Zoom Developers Pvt and M/s Luminous Infoways also participated in this meeting.

A meeting was also convened under the Chairmanship of the Director, I&PR Shri Debendra Prasad Das to finalise the modalities for setting up of a full fledged studio inside the premises of Lok Sampark Bhawan to cater to the need of shooting, dubbing and editing of documentaries, spots and films produced for dissemination of information through electronic Media and audio visual publicity later on this day.