Times of India: Rajkot: Tuesday,
April 23, 2013.
The Gujarat
Information Commission (GIC) has ordered the state government to provide
year-wise details on expenditure and usage of Chief Minister's Relief Fund free
of cost to a right to information (RTI) applicant, KiritRathod.
Rathod, an
RTI activist, had filed an application with public information officer (PIO) at
chief minister's office (CMO) on 23 March, 2010, seeking details on Chief
Minister's Relief Fund.
He had asked
for the copies of circulars and resolutions and expenditure and savings details
of the relief fund for the period between April 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009.
The application was forwarded to the revenue department by the CMO.
When the
applicant failed to get satisfactory information from the government
department, he filed a second appeal before the commission.
Information
commissioner Balwant Singh observed that the usage is decided by a committee
comprising public authorities. Therefore, the purposes for which the usage has
been sanctioned and the total amount disbursed in each of the categories would
not attract exemption as these were not personal information.
However, the
particular of persons to whom the disbursals were made and the nature of their
health problems would be exempted.
The GIC in
its April 8 order asked the state government to provide year-wise information
on expenditure and usage in broad categories free of cost to Rathod before 15
May.
During the
hearing held on April 4, P H Garasia, under secretary, revenue department, had
argued that year-wise expenditure and saving details were provided to Rathod
and that no additional information can be given to him under section 8 of the
RTI Act.
Garasia
produced a copy of the GIC June 2011 order in support of his argument and a
letter from Gujarat Legislative Assembly secretariat, which said that questions
relating to CM Relief Fund shall not be admitted.
However,
Rathod submitted that he should be provided information under the RTI Act since
public money was involved here.
Rajkot: The
Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has ordered the state government to
provide year-wise details on expenditure and usage of Chief Minister's Relief
Fund free of cost to a right to information (RTI) applicant, Kirit Rathod.
Rathod, an
RTI activist, had filed an application with public information officer (PIO) at
chief minister's office (CMO) on 23 March, 2010, seeking details on Chief
Minister's Relief Fund. He had asked for the copies of circulars and
resolutions and expenditure and savings details of the relief fund for the
period between April 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009. The application was
forwarded to the revenue department by the CMO.
When the
applicant failed to get satisfactory information from the government
department, he filed a second appeal before the commission.
Information
commissioner Balwant Singh observed that the usage is decided by a committee
comprising public authorities. Therefore, the purposes for which the usage has
been sanctioned and the total amount disbursed in each of the categories would
not attract exemption as these were not personal information. However, the
particular of persons to whom the disbursals were made and the nature of their
health problems would be exempted.
The GIC in
its April 8 order asked the state government to provide year-wise information
on expenditure and usage in broad categories free of cost to Rathod before 15
May.
During the
hearing held on April 4, P H Garasia, under secretary, revenue department, had
argued that year-wise expenditure and saving details were provided to Rathod
and that no additional information can be given to him under section 8 of the
RTI Act. Garasia produced a copy of the GIC June 2011 order in support of his
argument and a letter from Gujarat Legislative Assembly secretariat, which said
that questions relating to CM Relief Fund shall not be admitted. However,
Rathod submitted that he should be provided information under the RTI Act since
public money was involved here.
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