Economic Times: New Delhi: Wednesday, May 07, 2014.
The Centre
has declined to share details including date and minute of meetings of a Group
of Ministers (GoM), formed to identify ways to tackle corruption, saying it is
exempted under the RTI Act. "Cabinet papers including records of
deliberations of the council of ministers are exempt from disclosure in terms
of Section 8 (1) (i) of the RTI Act," the Cabinet Secretariat said in
reply to an RTI query.
The section
bars disclosure of cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the
council of ministers, secretaries and other officers. The decisions of council
of ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the
decisions were taken shall be made public only after the decision has been
taken and the matter is complete, or over, the section reads further.
The Cabinet
Secretariat was asked to provide information information on the GoM including
date of meetings held, minute of those deliberations and next date of sitting
of the GoM. The Group of Ministers was formed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on January 6, 2011 to consider measures that can be taken by the government to
tackle corruption.
The GoM was
mandated to advise the government on matters including state funding of
elections, fast tracking of all cases of public servants accused of corruption,
ensuring full transparency in public procurement and contracts and introduction
of an open and competitive system of exploiting natural resources, among
others.
Acting on one
of the recommendations of the GoM, the government has already done away with
various discretionary powers enjoyed by ministers. It included discretionary
allotment of gas pumps and issue of gas coupons besides discretionary funds at
the hands of some ministries like Social Welfare. There are still some
ministries left which are yet to form guidelines to check discretionary powers
enjoyed by their ministers.
The GoM,
which was mandated to give its recommendation within 60 days of its constitution,
has not yet completed its work. The GoMs tenure was also extended on many
occasions. The Centre had on July 17, 2012 removed any time limit from the GoM
to complete its work. "The GoM will remain functional till the completion
of the assigned mandate," the Cabinet Secretariat said in an order.
Finance
Minister P Chidambaram, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Petroleum and
Natrural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily, Law Minister Kapil Sibal and Heavy
Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Praful Patel are members of the GoM.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions,
V Narayanasamy is a special invitee to the group.
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