Activists seek proactive role for govt

Times of India: Ahmedabad: Monday, May 13, 2013.

Right to Information (RTI) activists want the State Information Commission to force Gujarat government to execute crucial provisions of pro-active disclosures under the act so that the people do not need to file RTI applications.

The resolve came at a meeting held by Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) on Saturday on the eve of completion of eight years of implementation of the act in Gujarat. A study by MAGP has revealed that 82% of the information sought in Gujarat is about basic issues like fund allocation for projects by the government or local bodies and the utilization of that fund. About 90% panchayats in Gujarat have not publicly disclosed information on their functioning, budgets, schemes, norms, beneficiaries etc. Similarly, 95% of the ration shops are still to disclose the basic information on the benefits and beneficiaries.

Pankti Jog of MAGP said: "If government is forthcoming in disclosing basic information notice boards, walls, through website etc., people like Amit Jethva would not be killed and Jabardann Gadhvi would not have committed suicide. Public authorities don't want to disclose information pro-actively because that will expose the misappropriations, violation of norms and corruption in the system." She further said, "State Information Commission should hold the government responsible for non-implementation of RTI norms and forced it to make public disclosures in all the government offices.