Citizen cartographers map typhoons and toilets

Times of India: Chennai: Sunday, 30 November 2014.

Recently, anticipating the Election Commission's demand for an updated village map, Jaisen Nedumpala set out to get the survey done in record time. There were no tape measures or tripods. Instead, the assistant panchayat secretary of Koorachundu village in Kerala's Kozhikode district roped in volunteers wielding smartphones with GPS apps to track the village boundaries and finished the project in just four days, a process that otherwise would've gone on for at least a month. This data was then uploaded to a free digital map of the village.

"I t would've been impossible to accurately update if we had waited for the government to give us a map before the panchayat elections in 2015. Now, we are ready whenever they want it done," says Nedumpala.

Even as a CBI enquiry is on about Google's Mapathon contest of 2013 for possibly mapping classified areas, amateur cartographers like Ne dumpala continue to use Global Positioning System trackers and satellite images to map everything from the biodiversity of the Western Ghats to the state of public toilets in Chennai and Hyderabad. This data is mostly uploaded to the free OpenStreetMap, the Wikipedia of maps that allows mapmakers to edit and collaborate.

Technology is enabling this trend of digital mapping, but increased interest in the field in the last few years is a result of a better understanding of what these maps can be used for, says Arun Ganesh, educational consultant with Tata Institute of Fundamental Studies. "Maps give a context to most of our problems, and tell a story," he says.

To weave a tale through maps, hard data is required. Some map-makers approach the government, which is never easy, so most researchers start by filing RTI applications. Transparent Chennai, an NGO working on urban issues, followed this up with field visits. When they finally mapped all 49 of the 714 public toilets in Chennai to determine how the utilities are planned and why half of them are unused, media and the state government took note, says project director Nithya V Raman. The Chennai Corporation even took tips from the NGO while recently finalizing 348 locations for building new toilets.

The other way to collect information is to crowdsource. Harass map-Mumbai, for instance, allows anyone to log sexual harassment cases across Mumbai.

The data helped NGO Akshara Centre pinpoint vulnerable locations and identify patterns of violence. Gautam Garg, founder of Zero Crime which maps thefts, phone snatching and other criminal offences across Delhi, is considering offering NGO links to en courage more people to report cases.

For trained digital cartographers, the most challenging work is mapping natural disasters. Software developer Sajjad Anwar from Bangalore was volunteering with HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreet Mapping) during typhoon Haiyan that devastated parts of Philippines in 2013. "It felt great when aid agencies like the Red Cross printed our maps for those delivering food and medicines," says Anwar, who also helped out during the Uttarakhand flashfloods.

For all the enthusiasm around citizen mapmaking, legally it is still a grey area. "Mapping is the prerogative of Survey of India (SoI) but their maps are limited," says H S Sudhira, director, Gubbi Labs, a research collective near Bangalore that has mapped Gubbi town complete with its chemists and cycle shops, a detailing that can't be expected from SoI.

Mumbai’s Biggest Killer Is Tuberculosis

India Spend: Mumbai: Sunday, 30 November 2014.

Tuberculosis, it seems, is the biggest killer in Mumbai, with 7,075 people succumbing to the disease last year. TB was followed by hypertension, leading to 4,525 deaths in 2013-14. These are some of the findings of Praja Foundation, an advocacy group based in Mumbai, which looked at records from government hospitals/dispensaries through a Right To Information (RTI) request filed with the health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Diarrhoea sent 118,143 people to the hospitals last year in Mumbai followed by TB with 43,664 cases. We had earlier reported that though Mumbai has one of India’s best health infrastructures, it is greatly short of medical staff and infrastructure We now present you data on the incidence of and death from disease in Mumbai.

Questioning governance : The institutions responsible for implementing the RTI Act seem to have, in many ways, let down India’s poor.

The Hindu: New Delhi: Sunday, 30 November 2014.

India’s right to information law is among the most significant official measures to reform governance and deepen democracy in the country since Independence. This radical statute empowers citizens to seek answers from the government necessary to evaluate the integrity and fairness of its decisions.

Nearly a decade has passed since the passage of this law by India’s Parliament. A recent study by the RTI Assessment and Advocacy Group and the Centre for Equity Studies investigates how this act has been used, by whom and to what effect. Its findings illuminate the health of both India’s democracy and governance.

In a country with such vast reservoirs of desperate poverty and illiteracy, many feared firstly that it would be redundant for the poor who need it most. The first surprise of the report is that every one of the rural users and more than half the urban users of the law, in its sample from five States, were poor people (officially identified as BPL). Indeed nine out of 10 rural users were officially identified as ‘Antyodaya’ or the poorest of the poor. This despite reports of intimidation, threats and even physical violence when they submit their RTI applications.

This confirms once more that as with voter turnouts impoverished people have the greatest stake and faith in Indian democracy, and the instruments it offers, ranging from the vote to the right to information. But as the study also demonstrates, the institutions responsible for implementing the Act let down India’s poor in many ways. In most States, there is less than four per cent chance of securing any information by filing a first appeal. Levels of pendency in second appeals are so high that the authors of the report Anjali Bhardwaj, Amrita Johri and Shekhar Singh calculate if current trends of disposal persist, it would take 80 years for a petition to be decided in Madhya Pradesh, and 17 years in West Bengal! They find further that even when Commissioners decide, in less than four per cent cases of default do they actually punish officials, therefore reducing the deterrence of fines envisaged by the law into a paper tiger.

Many claim that applications are burdening officials, but officials report in the study that the average time they devote to RTI applications is two hours a week. Another common criticism is that officials are harassed by vexatious applications. Taking the widest definition of this term, the authors after studying a sample of 1,000 applications, found not more than one per cent applications could be so classified.

What information then do people seek under this statute? Many applicants seek information about norms that should anyway be public. For instance, one person wants a list of old-age homes in Delhi, and the terms and conditions to get admission. Others seek reasons for delays in official decisions, sometimes years later. An applicant applied in 2013 to ask why he has not been given a copy of a property sale deed he registered in 1997. The report lists two examples in which anganwadi workers seek details about why they were rejected for the position, and others who were less qualified chosen.

The authors conclude that many such RTI applications are actually disguised applications for redress of grievances, and sometimes open calls for help. In this they see evidence of the ingenuity of the Indian public, who have perfected ways to use RTI not only to register complaints but also on occasion to actually get them acted upon, because this act is often more effective than all other available remedies for inaction and delay. One applicant not only seeks information about alcohol de-addiction centres to treat her alcoholic husband, but also ways in which a BPL card-holder can avail these services free. Another old person wants to know why his pension was stopped.

Occasionally, even amid the despair, frustration and helplessness that characterise most applications, they find instances of dark humour. In one, the applicant says his village is not being developed, and wants to know what he should do to get the work done, listing the options from which the officer must choose: dharna, hunger-strike or self-immolation. In another, a widow alleges that a woman officer who visited her asked for Rs.5,000 to release a grant to her for her daughter’s marriage under an official scheme. She asks  with make-believe innocence  if this is actually a fee that she needs to deposit to receive her grant!

-Harsh Mander

Jashodaben – The superhero.

Ahmedabad Mirror: Ahmedabad: Saturday, 29 November 2014.

Let's hand it to her - it takes one hell of a lot of guts for the abandoned spouse of the powerful prime minister of the country to file an RTI application demanding to know what sort of privileges she is entitled to as the legally wedded wife of Narendra Modi! Most women in her unfortunate position would have either kept mum or taken full advantage of the situation (read: perks).

Clearly, Jashodaben is made of sterner stuff. How cool does that make her? When she toddled off to submit the RTI application to the Mehsana police earlier this week, she was riding pillion (with helmet? without?) on her younger brother Ashok Modi's scooty (she has been living with him at his modest house in Unjha after her husband picked politics over his bride whom he married in 1968). Left to pursue her unfinished studies, Jashodaben was living a life of total obscurity, even during the time her husband was the high profile chief minister of Gujarat. And there she would probably have stayed even after he rose to lead his party to victory in the historic elections, had the Supreme Court guidelines not forced her husband to declare his marital status.

For years and years, Modi had left his marital status blank while filing his nomination papers. But the Lok Sabha election papers made it mandatory for him to 'do the needful'. Virtually overnight, Jashodaben's existence became known to the public. One assumes she was fine with that, considering she remained under wraps even after Modi assumed office. It was only after armed guards started to 'protect' her 24x7 that the lady decided it was time to ask a few relevant questions. Such as: On whose orders was she being provided these guards? She went further, citing Indira Gandhi's tragedy (Indira was assassinated by her own guards), and expressing her own fears that the 'ambiguity' revolving around the identity of these guards (who refused to tell her on whose orders they were tailing her!), made her believe there was a grave danger to her life.

What an extraordinary charge to make, given her unique position! Today, the plucky lady is seeking answers to basic questions and wants to know 'all the protocol and facilities, including security details' she is entitled to as the wife of the prime minister. She says her guards do not carry any official orders with them. And what obviously bugs her equally is that these men tail her in comfortable, air-conditioned cars while she uses public transport! Oh yes - the guards also demand to be treated like her family's 'guests' which must mean they expect khaana-peena from her kitchen! Hello???? Her RTI application is bold, blunt and to the point. It reads, "I am the wife of the prime minister of India and have been extended security as per protocol. Which other service can be extended to me under the protocol? Give me a detailed description of the protocol."

Hurrah! Good on you, gurrrlll! She also stated in an interview to a journalist that she is willing to go and stay with the prime minister as his wife in Delhi. Jashodaben wears a mangalsutra around her neck and sindhoor in the parting of her hair - easily recognisable symbols of being a married woman. Now the ball is in her husband's court. Will he reinstate a lady in his life who he has not been with for 46 years (well, technically, they shared space for the first two or three years of their married life... if that counts).

Will Jashodaben be formally 'presented in court' as it were, any time soon? Will she be his official hostess at state banquets? Accompany him on his official tours overseas? Receive Barrack and Michelle Obama when they arrive for the grand Republic Day Parade on 26th January, 2015? Even more importantly, will someone - anyone - explain to this bewildered lady who exactly those heavies are and why they are tailing her? Is it really for her protection? If 'yes' - reveal their identities, produce relevant orders and that will be that. Her fears are understandable and entirely justified. On the other hand and let me play the Devil's advocate here for a lady who has timidly accepted her status and fate in life for close to half a century, isn't it a bit, ummm, strange, that she has suddenly picked up the courage to ask tough questions to one of the toughest men in contemporary India, who just happens to be her husband? Who is backing Jashodaben? Over to you, Mrs Modi. It's your turn to answer the questions now.

Info. Commissioner raps revenue officials

The Hindu: Tirupati: Saturday, 29 November 2014.

State Information Commissioner L. Tantiya Kumari came down heavily on revenue officials, while reviewing the nature of pending cases here.

She heard 30 cases pertaining to the Revenue Department, but had to adjourn the session for lack of enough information. Slapping show-cause notice on some officials, she directed them to furnish the required information in 30 days to the applicants, besides submitting a copy to the Commissioner’s office. She directed the Public Information Officers (PIOs) as well as the appellate authorities to appear before the Commission.

Speaking to media later, Ms. Kumari expressed concern over the increasing instances of misuse of Right to Information Act for personal gain. “RTI Act is a powerful weapon in the hands of common man, but it should not be used for the purposes other than intended,” she said.

Helmet 'must' in city since 2005, reveals RTI query

Times of India: Nagpur: Saturday, 29 November 2014.

The traffic department claims that wearing helmet while riding a two-wheeler is compulsory on Nagpur roads since 2005. Replying to an RTI query by activist Abhay Kolarkar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Bharat Tangde's office in Civil Lines gave reference of a notification issued by Maharashtra home ministry on January 17, 2005 that says, 'every person driving or riding' a two-wheeler must wear protective headgear under Motor Vehicles Act, enacted in 1988.

Traffic cops claimed the department frequently penalized motorists for not wearing helmets. This year (until October 25), the department has reportedly caught 714 two-wheeler riders for riding without headgears. The statistics also includes 166 police personnel, who too were booked for the same.

Traffic activists ridiculed the traffic police claim. "With a token action, the cops concluded everybody had begun wearing helmets. But, there is no implementation on the ground," they said.

The law is being adhered to in most metros though the traffic department claims there is lack of knowledge and cooperation from the people to make it mandatory in Nagpur.

The drive against jumping red lights, parking vehicles on wrong side is still on but action against two-wheeler riders without helmet that results in most deaths on city roads has inexplicably stopped. The cops said they could not enforce the helmet rule due to staff crunch.

Senior traffic cops could not explain how they found staff for booking traffic violators but not those violating the helmet rule. They also could not say why saving lives was less important than taking action against wrong parking of vehicles. Traffic cops, however, claimed the office frequently carried out drive for helmets. "Along with the RTO, we are creating awareness among two-wheeler riders on the issue," said a senior traffic cop. But there is no evidence of any awareness on the streets.

The non-sustainable drive was just to show the government that the enforcing agency was serious about enforcing rules, claimed Kolarkar. He claimed traffic police's responsibility was also to ensure motorists followed rules while driving.

"Instead of resorting to sporadic checks, there must be a process to book the culprits then and there. At present, only a nominal fine is imposed. Why not impose a heavy fine from such reckless two-wheeler drivers? After all it is to safeguard their own life and in larger interest of society," said traffic expert and secretary of International Society for Road Transport and Safety (ISRTS), Nagpur Tushar Mandlekar.

He pointed out Motor Vehicle Act clearly stated use of helmet was compulsory for two-wheeler riders just like possessing driving licence. Interestingly, the cops regularly penalized drivers for riding without licence, but turned a blind eye towards motorists riding without helmet, Mandlekar said.

"Had the helmet rule been compulsory, the 48-year-old lawyer Vijaya Bode, crushed under the wheels of a bus recently, could be saved," he pointed out. Likewise, many more people were losing their lives in road mishaps.

Even the HC had directed the police to enforce the rule but the police, especially the traffic police, failed to comply. By not enforcing helmet rules, city police chief KK Pathak faces contempt charges for disobeying the HC and even Supreme Court orders.

Sudhir Pohane, related to the automobile industry, said helmets should be compulsory for two-wheeler riders. "It is a mark of responsible driving. It is not only for the rider's safety but also for the safety of others," he said.

Motorists make all sorts of excuses for not using helmets. "I am using a helmet since late '90s and at that time it was not even compulsory. Now I have become so accustomed to using it that I cannot ride without a helmet," said Pohane. Many riders using helmets for years, experience other benefits too. "It protects you from noise, pollution, rain, sun and of course accident," he claimed.

Jashodaben's RTI query could cause greater awkwardness for PM in days to come

ABP News: Article: Saturday, 29 November 2014.

At the least, Jashodaben Modi’s RTI query seeking clarity on privileges due to her for being the Prime Minister’s ‘wife’ is a huge embarrassment to Narendra Modi. It knocks down the skilfully constructed halo of public morality and demonstrates that he too has unresolved skeleton-like personal issues in his cupboard. Unless the matter is resolved between the two individuals away from public glare, there is grave risk of the matter escalating and causing greater awkwardness for the Prime Minister. Undeniably, this is a problem of Modi’s own making and reflects insensitivity towards a lady whose only misfortune is that she was betrothed at a young age to a man who eventually forsook her.

The incident reveals a flaw in Modi’s personality just as the decision to take a selfie after voting in April did. While the latter underscored the malady of self-adulation, the decision of the ‘abandoned’ wife reflects that tendency to sweep disconcerting issues beneath the carpet. It is also a pointer towards an inner core that is insensitive towards aspirations of others, especially those in a weaker position. The saga involving Modi’s ‘wife’ has to be framed sequentially to secure a grip on the unfolding melodrama.

When young, Modi and Jashodaben were committed to each other by their families, probably either known to each other or with common friends and relatives in between. That was the first stage of a three-staged wedding, commonplace in most parts of India at that time. It is unclear when this ritual was performed but one supposes it was when they were still pre-pubescent children. The second stage, before gauna when the couple are expected to begin cohabiting was held in the late 1960s when the young man was completing school. From various available accounts which remain the most reliable sources in the absence of disclosure from Modi, it appears that the young man did not wish to honour the marriage.

It is not known if the two events are interlinked - but around that time in 1967, Modi left home to wander around the country for a couple of years. He returned but only to find that he was still expected to honour the family commitment to Jashodaben. He left home once more, and did not pay a visit for almost two decades. In the course of these years, he chalked out a career in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

True that Modi had no control over the marriage till the second stage. But thereafter, he began taking decisions central to his life: he left home, wandered around, returned and then left again to eventually join the RSS. The decision to become Pracharak was a personal one. The rules of RSS at that time forbade anyone who was married to become Pracharak. Old timers in RSS do not remember knowing about Modi’s marriage till the early 1990s when the media got wind of it. In all probability the fact of his marriage was hidden from RSS leaders. But more importantly, when he was not living with Jashodaben why was she not legally divorced so that she could choose a life with a different partner if she so desired?

Modi was a young party apparatchik when his marriage was first reported by two Gujarat-based journalists. The matter however was soon forgotten as Modi was not an important enough leader for his private life to remain in spotlight for long. After he became chief minister, some reporters tried to track Jashodaben in Brahmanwada, her village. But they were prevented and one journalist is on record that he was personally accused by Modi of pursuing an “agenda”. Thereafter in elections after election, Modi did not mention the existence of his marital status because it was not mandatory. He was forced to do so for the Lok Sabha polls.

The media continued to keep off Jashodaben till matters surfaced in the public domain. The media turned its attention on her only after Modi included Jashodaben’s name in his affidavit. The same is the case now. This article for instance, would not have been written unless the RTI application was filed. Ironically, Modi implored people to exercise rights granted by the RTI Act. His preaching has boomeranged on him.

That the SPG protects her is evidence of the fact that Jashodaben continues to be his legally wife and he has certain duties just as she has certain rights. This is the first time that a conflict within marriage of any Prime Minister has come into public light. Indira Gandhi was spared the situation because Feroze Gandhi died before she became PM.

Clearly the status accorded to her since May has not been to Jashodaben’s satisfaction. She would be having a private demand and the RTI application is a move to get those addressed. Modi has to attend to that private demand. If this is not done and he keeps the matter unresolved like he has done since early 1970s when he joined RSS, it is only likely to snowball into a more embarrassing situation for him.

The last thing Modi would want is for her to address a press conference and make public what is not known about the wedding. Probably it is the right time for him to make full disclosure. He need not address the media and instead a well-crafted statement can resolve the issue after a negotiated agreement with Jashodaben. Modi must remember the old idiom: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Only 1% of 6 lakh aspirants got jobs in nine years of Cong rule.

Hindustan Times: Rohtak: Sat Singh: Friday, November 28, 2014. 

Contrary to the claims of the previous Congress regime, the official figures of the employment directorate prove that giving jobs to the youth was never its priority.

Of the 6 lakh aspirants in 21 districts who registered with the employment department in the last nine years of the Congress rule, only 1% (6,308) got work, and even out of this, 66% (4,110) jobs went to just four districts (Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Karnal), which had political influence. Haryana Suchna Adhikar Manch state convener Subhash, whose organisation secured these details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, has shared the figures with the media.

Only 1,311 aspirants from Gurgaon, Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, and Sirsa were among the beneficiaries. The least (12) are from the Ahir land of Rewari, followed by Palwal (13) and Panchkula (25). "Rohtak, which is home town of the-then chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was placated the maximum in the awarding of unemployment allowance," said Subhash.

By the official figures, the state employment department spent more than `300 crore on handing out unemployment allowance in the past nine years. Of this, `36 crore was distributed in Rohtak district, `33 crore in Hisar, and `30 crore each in Bhiwani and Jind. Aspirants from 11 districts received less than 100 jobs in nine years. Panipat (91), Mahendergarh (90), Yammunagar (90), Faridabad (87), Ambala (77), Mewat (57), Bhiwani (57), Fatehabad (32), Panchkula (25), Palwal (13), and Rewari (12) are the districts.

On the higher side, Jhajjar got 1,479 jobs, Sonepat 1,033, and Rohtak 733. With 865 jobs, Karnal, constituency of current chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is also in the privileged category.

SPG CHIEF REMOVED DAY AFTER MODI’S ESTRANGED WIFE FILES RTI QUERY.

Ahmedabad Mirror: Friday, November 28, 2014; 

Within 48 hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's estranged wife Jashodaben filing aRight to Information Act query with the superintendent of Mehsana police seeking information on her security detail, director of Special Protection Group K Durga Prasad has been summarily shunted out. Prasad, a 1981 Andhra cadre officer, who has been chief of the elite SPG since 2011 was in fact on the Air India One with the Prime Minister flying to Kathmandu for the SAARC summit when Narendra Modi signed on the file relieving him from his position.

SS Chaturvedi is the acting SPG chief. A panel of four senior officers including NDRF chief OP Singh and Gujarat cadre officer AK Sharma has been shortlisted for the post of the new SPG chief. Prasad whose term ended on November 2 and was serving an extension, came to know about this move from the media after the department of personnel and training announced in a tersely-worded press release that the charge of the SPG will be looked after by "the next senior most officer till the appointment of a suitable successor."

He has also not been informed of his next posting though in all likelihood he will be promoted to the level of Director General heading the Central Reserve Police Force. Sources close to Prasad suggest that the move to remove him as SPG chief took him by surprise as he said he would first call and check with the Cabinet Secretary about his next posting. Though sources close to Prasad denied that the SPG chief could in any way be held responsible for filing of the RTI query or providing obtrusive security to Modi's wife, BJP sources say that it was Prasad who gave the final OK to Jashodaben's security detail.

An SPG team had visited Gujarat in the last week of May this year to assess security and threat perception to Narendra Modi's family including Jashodaben who as the PM's wife is entitled to SPG protection. But based on intelligence inputs it was decided to give her Gujarat police security comprising four unarmed guards and one armed guard with vehicle. This security assessment report which classified Jashodaben's threat perception as NIL was monitored by Prasad. The PM's wife's security team works in shifts and is drawn from Mehsana district police. But her RTI that says she fears for her life has caused great embarrassment all around and changed equations.

No doctor for 70pc BHUs in three KP districts.

The News: Islamabad: Friday, November 28, 2014;

Despite making tall claims, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) provincial government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has failed to ensure basic health care to a majority of rural area residents. Official documents have revealed that as many as 73 Basic Health Units (BHUs) in just eight districts of the province are operating without any medical officer at all.

Certified information collected by The News, through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (RTI) Act 2013 from eight districts of KPK, shows that there are 247 basic health units (BHUs) in these areas of which 73 have no trained doctor available.

In its election manifesto, the PTI had promised to pay special attention to improving health and education sectors for poor population.However, the data shows that the remote district of Hangu is most neglected. The district has a population of 314,529 as per the 1998 census but 80 percent of its people are deprived of basic healthcare facilities. As many as 10 BHUs of Hangu are operating without the services of a doctor while only three BHUs have trained medical officers available.

Swabi is another deprived area in terms of basic health facilities, as 70 percent of its basic health units have no doctor. The district has over 1 million population according to the last census conducted in 1998.

According to local residents, poor and illiterate people of the district have to walk for miles to reach these health units only to find that there is no doctor available in the facility. In total, there are 40 BHUs in Swabi of which 28 have no doctor while only 12 are lucky to have a medical officer.

According to health experts, many lives could be saved by only deputing qualified medical officer in rural areas. They believe the doctors at BHUs can provide life saving support to emergency patients, especially in far-flung areas. The former director of accidents and emergency at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dr Waseem Khawaja, told The News that the absence of trained doctors in rural areas could prove fatal for some poor patients as they fail to get timely medical intervention.

The official data shows that 60% basic health units are operating without a doctor in district Lakki Marwat, which has a population of 490,025. In total, there are 27 BHUs in the district while 15 are deprived of the services of a medical officer.

In Karak, there are 19 posts of medical doctors in as many basic health units but seven are vacant. In the relatively developed district of Haripur, seven BHUs are functioning without a doctor while it has 39 basic health facilities. In district Bannu, six BHUs have no doctor out of the total 34 facilities.

Charsadda and Nowshera are lucky to have all the posts of doctors filled in the BHUs. Charsadda has 45 basic health units, which are all functioning with the services of doctors. Nowshera has 30 BHUs and all have medical officers available.

Despite repeated contacts, the provincial health minister Shahram Khan did not respond to The News request for version. He was sent a text message on his mobile number with the data of BHUs for comments but he did not reply.The News had earlier reported that in 10 districts of the Punjab, 310 BHUs had no doctor. According to certified data, there are 732 basic health units in these districts of the Punjab.

Sarpanches in the dock for denying info under RTI.

The Hindu : New Delhi: Friday, November 28, 2014;

The State Information Commission (SIC), Haryana, has directed issuance of bailable warrants against the sarpanches of two villages for refusing information under the Right to Information Act and not replying to show-cause notices issued by the commission.

The orders have been issued against the sarpanches of Siwadi and Khetawas villages.

Farruk Nagar-resident Mr. Yadav, an IT manager in a company in Gurgaon, was visiting Siwadi village when he decided to speak to the village sarpanch regarding the bad condition of the roads. “I tried to speak to the sarpanch, but he was not willing to discuss the matter. I then decided to seek information under the RTI, but the sarpanch sitting in the Panchayat Bhawan refused to accept it. I returned home and sent my RTI application via Speed Post on August 5, but the sarpanch, who is also the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) still refused to accept it,” said Mr. Yadav speaking to The Hindu.

He then filed a complaint to the SIC and on October 27, the SIC issued a show-cause notice which the SPIO refused to accept. The SIC on November 17 issued bailable warrant against the sarpanch. “The Commission perused the case file and found that the show-cause notice issued by the Commission on 27.10.2014 was refused to be received by the SPIO-cum-sarpanch, Village Siwadi. The note by the postman on the envelope is available on record. It is a clear-cut defiance of the Commission’s show-cause notice as well as directions,” the SIC order read.

CIC directs sharing of info on Vahanvati

The Hindu: New Delhi: Thursday, 27 November 2014.

The Central Information Commission has directed the Centre’s Department of Legal Affairs to share information on the appointment of law officers and also whether there was any proposal from the Law Ministry asking the former Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati to “take part in the 2G allocation matter.”

The order of the CIC came on an appeal filed by RTI activist Subhash Chand Agrawal. Mr. Agrawal had in an RTI application sought to know from the Department of Legal Affairs information on any complaint received against any law officer with action taken against them. He sought information on law officers having violated the Law Officers (Service Conditions) Rules, 1972.

He sought information on “appointment of G.E. Vahanvati as the Attorney-General and sought copy of proposal/ reference by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice for him to take part in discussion process and/or drafting press note in respect of the 2G spectrum allocation.”

As per the rule, a law officer shall not advise any ministry or department of the Centre or a statutory body or public sector undertaking unless there is a proposal or reference in that regard received through Ministry of Law and Justice.

Mr. Vahanvati’s role as then Solicitor General in the 2G spectrum allocation had come into question. He was later given a clean chit. Mr. Vahanvati died of cardiac arrest in September.

The Public Information Officer of the Department of Legal Affairs, however, replied that the correspondences and documents concerning appointment of law officers (G.E. Vahanvati, Gopal Subramanium and Rohinton Nariman), were bulky and would involve diversion of resources.

Maharashtra government to hire 179 judges to clear mountain of cases

DNA: Mumbai: Thursday, 27 November 2014.

With the Maharashtra government on November 18 sanctioning 179 additional posts of judges, there seems to be hope of reducing the massive backlog of pending cases in the city's courts, which is more than 3.65 lakh as on March 2014.

The number of judges in the state will rise from the existing 1,781 to 1,960. The government has also sanctioned 759 posts of support staff for the additional judges.

This development comes in compliance with a Bombay high court order. The HC had directed the government to appoint more judges in pursuance to a Supreme Court judgment in the case of Brijmohan v. Union of India. In this 2012 case, the SC had asked all the states to increase the judges' posts by an additional 10%.

As per information received under the Right to Information (RTI) by activist Chetan Kothari, there are a total of 3,65,418 cases pending in various magistrate courts across Mumbai as on March 31 this year. Of these, around 43,647 cases were more than 10 years old while 72,047 cases were pending for over five years.

The RTI reply also states that last year a total of 2,19,842 cases were disposed of, while in 2012, the number of disposed cases was 3,49,116.

"High pendency of cases has always been an issue. With increasing litigation, there was a need for more judges to dispose of the cases faster. Hopefully, now the disposal rate of cases will be speedier," said advocate Jamshed Mistry.

The state government has sanctioned Rs 48.41 crore for the additional posts and support staff, read the cabinet decision.

State government statistics say that lower courts have over 56,000 pending cases of crimes against women. Of these, 11,074 cases are pending with the sessions court and 45,057 with the magistrates' courts.

There are nearly 90,000 cases of motor accident claims, say the government stats.

Moreover, 3,768 pending cases pertain to crime against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, while 3,336 cases were lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The HC order was passed while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Vihar Durve seeking that the government should be directed to implement the SC order and accordingly increase the posts of judges in the state.

The PIL sought the establishment of additional fast track courts to try cases of crime against women, which are on the rise.

Government's apathy towards the judiciary reflects in the fact that since May 2010, the HC has been exchanging communications with the state on the matter, but the government kept raising queries about the appointments.

RTI में खुलासा, डॉक्टर ने किया गलत इलाज

नवभारत टाइम्स: गुड़गांव: Thursday, 27 November 2014.

राजीव नगर स्थित एक प्राइवेट हॉस्पिटल के डॉक्टर पर मरीज के परिजनों ने लापरवाही का आरोप लगाया है। स्वास्थ्य विभाग की ओर से मिले आरटीआई के जवाब में डॉक्टर द्वारा ईलाज में लापरवाही बरते जाने का खुलासा हुआ है।

परिजनों ने इसकी शिकायत पुलिस को दी थी, जिसके बाद पुलिस ने इस पर सीएमओ को पत्रा लिख मेडिकल ओपीनियन मांगा। इसमें सीएमओ की ओर से गठित की गई टीम में शामिल डिप्टी सिविल सर्जन डॉ. सुनीता राठी, सर्जन डॉ. जागीर नैन ने जांच में पाया कि डॉक्टर द्वारा इलाज के दौरान जो ट्रीटमेंट किए जाने का निर्णय लिया गया, उसमें खामियां थी। परिजन अब पुलिस से डॉक्टर के खिलाफ केस दर्ज करने की मांग कर रहे हैं।

गुड़गांव निवासी 33 वर्षीय भीम शर्मा का 5 फरवरी 2011 को मुरादाबाद में एक्सीडेंट हो गया था। उन्हें तुरंत ही मुरादाबाद के दीन दयाल उपाध्याय गर्वमेंट हॉस्पिटल ले जाया गया। यहां से उन्हें दिल्ली रेफर कर दिया गया। इस पर परिजन उन्हें गुड़गांव के राजीव नगर स्थित एक प्राइवेट हॉस्पिटल ले आए। यहां पर डॉक्टर उमेश गुप्ता ने उनका उपचार किया। डॉक्टर ने उनकी आंख के पास स्टीचिस लगाने के साथ उन्हें आईसीयू में एडमिट कर लिया व पांच यूनिट ब्लड भी चढ़ाया, लेकिन ऑप्रेशन की जरूरत नहीं समझी। भीम को 11 फरवरी 2011 को डिस्चार्ज किया गया।

पीड़ित ने आरोप लगाया कि इस दौरान उनके पेट में दर्द होता रहा और उनकी हालत बिगड़ने लगी। इसके बाद 19 फरवरी 2011 को परिजन उन्हें दोबारा उसकी हॉस्पिटल ले गए। इसके बाद 27 फरवरी तक वे यहां एडमिट रहे। इस दौरान भी डॉक्टर उमेश गुप्ता ने उनका इलाज किया। इस दौरान उन्हें दो यूनिट ब्लड व 3 यूनिट प्लाजमा चढ़ाया गया, लेकिन हालत में कोई सुधार नहीं हुआ। 6 मार्च को परिजन उन्हें दूसरे प्राइवेट हॉस्पिटल में ले गए।

जहां डॉक्टरों ने चेकअप कर पाया कि पीड़ित की आंतों में घाव व इंफेक्शन काफी ज्यादा बढ़ गया है। यहां पर डॉक्टरों ने उन्हें किसी बड़े हॉस्पिटल ले जाकर तुरंत ऑपरेशन कराने की सलाह दी। इस पर परिजन 7 मार्च 2011 को पीड़ित को आर्टिमिस हॉस्पिटल ले गए, जहां 8 मार्च को उनका ऑपरेशन किया गया।

यहां डॉक्टरों ने बताया कि पीड़ित को लाने में काफी देर कर दी गई, जिसकी वजह से उनकी आंतें सड़ गई हैं। ऑपरेशन करने वाले डॉक्टरों ने परिजनों को दूसरे ऑपरेशन का सुझाव दिया। इसके बाद डॉक्टरों ने दिल्ली के दूसरे हॉस्पिटल में जॉइन कर लिया। इस वजह से परिजनों ने 17 मार्च को भीम को यहां से डिस्चार्ज करा लिया।

परिजन इन्हीं डॉक्टरों से भीम का इलाज कराना चाहते थे। इसके बाद दो बार पीड़ित की हालत खराब होने की वजह से उन्हें आर्टिमिस हॉस्पिटल में भर्ती कराया गया। डॉक्टरों द्वारा ऑपरेशन की सलाह पर पीड़ित को 11 अप्रैल को डिस्चार्ज करवाकर परिजन दिल्ली ले गए। यहां उन्हीं डॉक्टरों के पास लाया गया, जिन्होंने भीम का ऑपरेशन किया था। परिजनों के अनुसार दूसरे ऑप्रेशन के बाद भी पीड़ित की हालत खराब रहती है।

अभी तक उनका इलाज दिल्ली के एक हॉस्पिटल में चल रहा है। पीड़ित को हर चार माह में 6 यूनिट ब्लड चढ़वाना पड़ता है। इस वजह से पीड़ित को सप्ताह भर तक एडमिट रखना पड़ता है।

पीड़ित के परिजनों ने अब डॉक्टरों की जांच रिपोर्ट को आधार बनाकर संबंधित डॉक्टर के खिलाफ एफआईआर करने के लिए सेक्टर-14 पुलिस चौकी में लिखित शिकायत दी है। पुलिस मामले की जांच में जुटी है।

States failed to lift foodgrains from godowns: RTI

Times of India: Shimla: Thursday, 27 November 2014.

Himachal Pradesh has contributed only 0.57 % to the national percentage of the pressure on Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns by lifting fairly well percentage of the food grains against the target fixed by the Centre through FCI in the last 10 years.

The information obtained through RTI by Dev Ashish Bhattacharya from Food Corporation Of India has revealed that in the last 10 years, around 19 Crores,88 lacs,81 thousand and 110 Metric tones (19,88,81,110 MTs) of the food grains remained un-lifted against the targetted quantum of the food grains being assigned to each state.

"Out of this national data the contribution of Himachal Pradesh was only 11 lacs,44 thousand and 670 MTs (11,44,670 MTs) which is only 0.57% of the national mismanagement," said Bhattacharya. He said now the major issues which come out of this exercise is whether this awesome quantum of unlifted food grain by the different states, against the targetted quantum, caused in massive food grain damage in different FCI godowns because of the creation of the paucity of space?

" Why the government failed to rectify the targets for each state keeping in view the actual off take by the states on year basis. What penalty the union government has imposed on various states for not lifting the targetted Food Grains each year," he added.

Bhattacharya asked whether the union government charged the godown charges from the states for storing the unlifted food grains against the assigned targets. "Since the FCI fixes the targets to lift the food grains for each state keeping in view to cater to the subsidised food grains for various poverty eradication schemes, therefore, has the union government sought reports from the states that why they have failed to lift the assigned quantum of the subsidised foodgrain meant for the marginalised citizens of the country," he added.

Translation of material sought under RTI Act triggers debate in Punjab information commission

Times of India: Chandigarh: Thursday, 27 November 2014.

Can an applicant under the Right to Information Act, 2005 seek translations of government texts in Punjab? The tricky question generated much heat in the Punjab State Information Commission in a recent case last week.

In a case related to land acquisition titled 'Naib Kaur versus Punjab Housing and Urban Development, New Oustee Policy (Policy related to compensation to the individuals)', the applicant sought translations of certain paragraphs of the government order from English to Punjabi, besides wanting to know if the policy applied to her as well.

"It was startling that the said three passages, of which the complainant was seeking Punjabi translation, were of just 150 words and the entire New Oustee policy not more than 1,000 words," said the initial order of the commission passed by state information commissioner Surinder Awasthi.

The case also revealed other startling facts such as the department had no designated public information officer for nearly six months ending March, for which a notice was sent to Venu Prasad, secretary, department of housing and urban development, to clarify as to who had been discharging the duties of PIO during the contentious period.

"The respondent deemed the PIO has stated that the PIO is not legally obliged to get any policy translated into Punjabi, which is the official language of the state. The contention of the deemed PIO is that the Punjabi version of the policy can't be supplied as it is not available. Thus, getting it translated in Punjabi would be creation of information which is not mandated under RTI Act," reads the order.

"The information seeker was not demanding a moon, but a mere translation of three paragraphs and it did not entail a rocket science but required simple translation skill which almost every government officer in Punjab is expected to have," it adds.

However, the full bench of the commission later held a different view and ruled, "The PIO is required to supply the 'material' in the form as held by the public authority and is not required to do research on behalf of the citizen to deduce anything from the material and then supply it to him or her."

Govt ignoring monthly reports: RTI

Times of India: New Delhi: Thursday, 27 November 2014.

What's the best way to ensure your government works? The answer may lie in the monthly summaries that every ministry and department must submit to the cabinet secretariat on the work they've been doing. But when transparency activist Venkatesh Nayak attempted to obtain reports for 27 departments under 10 ministries through the Right to Information Act, only six replied in full. More than half didn't bother writing back at all. And some replied without giving him the information.

Nayak, programme coordinator with Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, is now set to petition the government to disclose these monthly summaries on all ministry and department websites. Filing monthly summaries is mandatory under the 'Rules of procedure in regard to proceedings of the cabinet,' a manual compiled in 1987 which itself was kept secret until Nayak battled the administration through RTI in order to get hold of a copy.

Nayak filed an RTI query in August this year, asking for monthly summaries for departments under key ministries such as home, finance, defence, external affairs, social justice and water resources. While Nayak received the maximum number of replies from departments under the ministry of finance, his applications were rejected by the ministry of defence.

The department of defence under the ministry of defence rejected the RTI application to provide monthly reports on the grounds that it was exempt from disclosing information under section 8 (1) (a) of the RTI act, dealing with national security. "This is a complete misreading of the clause. Information is exempt only if disclosure will affect national security. The department did not bother to explain how the entire monthly summary attracts this provision," says Nayak.

Ironically the department of personnel and training, which looks after the implementation of the RTI and the Lokpal Act, did not reply to the RTI query on monthly submissions.

Strangely, while Nayak did not receive any information from the departments of disinvestment and financial services under the ministry of finance, sister departments such as expenditure, revenue and economic affairs were prompt with their response.

"One of the reasons for what was believed to be policy paralysis under the previous government may have been a lack of adequate monitoring of the work that each department did. If a report does not come at all, or a report with the word 'nil' is filed, how will the cabinet secretariat or the prime minister even get to know if work is progressing well or has slowed down?" asks Nayak.

Schools wary of stifling norms

Times of India: New Delhi: Tuesday, 25 November 2014.

With the high court ordering Delhi government to ensure that playschools on DDA land start admitting children into EWS quota, this move could result in automatic recognition and regulation for them. While managements of such schools accept the recognition move and concede some norms need to be laid down, they fear interference on matters of fees and curriculum in the future.

Till now, playschools have been the only unregulated part of education, running as commercial ventures. The EWS part of the order alone may impact over 400 schools.

The Monday order doesn't mention recognition, though the government was rebuked for trying to argue that playschools aren't in their 'jurisdiction'. "We have to see if playschools breach the lease-deed agreement which requires 25% EWS admissions and report to Delhi Development Authority," said Padmini Singla, director, education.

However, petitioner Khagesh Jha argued that this will automatically lead to recognition. "To implement this, DoE will have to recognize these schools, be they on private or DDA land. It can't monitor institutions it has no control over," reasons Jha.

In response to an RTI query in 2013, Jha obtained from DDA a list of over 300 plots allotted to establish "nursery schools". This year, DDA told the high court it has allotted 169 plots. "These are all playschools. They've received land on DoE's sponsorship and regulation is a condition of that endorsement," said Jha.

About six of Shemrock's 50 schools in Delhi are on DDA land. The vice-chairman and managing director, Amol Arora, said they'll be "adhering to the lease deed agreement". He blames the "lack of awareness about this provision" for it not being implemented. "We can't deny admission if there are seats, but we have not been approached," he said. He added that a basic checklist with certain norms, especially ones pertaining to safety and hygiene, are a must.

Playschools, however, do not welcome interference in areas such as curriculum and fees or obtaining a large number of permits that may push up running or establishment costs.

"While some norms should be specified, recognition shouldn't be compulsory. It's a long procedure and most playschools run on a very small scale. Also some parents send their kids only for a few months," said Pooja Mehta, principal Tiny Tots Playschool, Janakpuri. Curricula are constantly updated and altered and kids join throughout the year.

Prajodh Rajan, CEO of Eurokids International, which runs 35 schools in Delhi on non-government land, points out that the issue of playschools has been addressed in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy, though it hasn't been implemented fully. "Minimum standards of space, infrastructure, teaching and equipment aren't a bad thing. But if the government gets into regulating fees then we'll face the heat," Rajan said.

Shipra Sharma, an educator with Mother's Pride, which has a network of 78 schools across Delhi-NCR, says that "the government and managements need to work together on a policy that'll be in the interest of the children."

The recent spate of molestations - and one of a child consuming paint thinner in school - led to protests by parents demanding regulation in September and October. The trigger was a molestation case reported from a playschool in Rohini. These cases even prompted Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights chief, Arun Mathur, to write to the chief secretary asking for a policy decision.

RTI Movement, CHRI organise 2-day workshop

Kashmir Reader: Srinagar: Tuesday, 25 November 2014.

The J&K RTI Movement and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) are holding a two-day state level advanced capacity building workshop at the Kashmir University’s Center for Central Asian Studies.

Inaugurated on Monday, the workshop is aimed to impart training to the RTI activists associated with the J&K RTI Movement and Sangharsh RTI Movement Jammu, a press statement issued here said.

The workshop is being chaired by Programme Coordinator of the ATI CHRI, Venketesh Nayak, and Chairman J&K RTI Movement, Dr Shiakh Ghulam Rasool, it said, adding, Amrita Paul and Seema Choudhary from CHRI presented a draft report of the decisions taken by the State Information Commission on appeals and complaints made in 2013.

Activists from across the state are participating in it, it said.

It said the chief information commissioner G R Sufi and the first Chief Information Commissioner of India Wajahat Habibullah will be a part of the workshop’s Tuesday’s session.

Over 10,000 RTI appeals pending

The Hindu: New Delhi: Tuesday, 25 November 2014.

When the new Chief Information Commissioner is appointed, he or she will find a mammoth 10,000 Right To Information appeals already pending before him or her. The new government’s delay in appointing a new Chief has led to pendency shooting up, much of it surrounding new policy decisions taken by the government.

The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission, the body which hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority they are seeking information from, and major issues concerning the RTI Act. Since August 22, when Chief Information Commissioner Rajiv Mathur retired, the government has not appointed a new Chief. Instead of convening a meeting and promoting the seniormost commissioner, the NDA government in the last week of October advertised for a new Chief. Monday was the last day for applications.

RTI activist Commodore (retd.) Lokesh K. Batra filed a query with the Central Information Commission, asking how many cases had been pending before the Chief as on August 23 and as on November 22. The CIC in its reply said that 10,290 cases were pending. “At this rate, people are going to lose faith in the commission and in the Act,” Mr. Batra told The Hindu.

Over a third of cases involve appeals against the Ministry of Defence alone.

Reflecting recent news development, there has been a big rise in the number of appeals against the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the University Grants Commission, the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

The Chief Information Commissioner is to be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a three-member committee headed by the Prime Minister and including the Leader of Opposition and a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister. “All that it needed was for the meeting to be called and appointment made,” Nikhil Dey of the National Campaign for the People’s Right To Information said. “The appointment was not held up by the lack of a Leader of the Opposition, because the RTI Act clearly states that the leader of the single largest opposition is also acceptable. If transparency had mattered to the government, they would have made the appointment a priority,” he said.

Former central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has long said that rising pendency is killing the landmark Act. “When I was in the CIC, we decided that we would dispose of a minimum of 3,200 cases per year. I myself was doing 5,000 cases a year and 6,000 in my last year. Yet this norm is being flouted, and Information Commissioners are working less and less, and pendency is piling up,” he said.

Pendency killing RTI, say activists

The Hindu: New Delhi: Tuesday, 25 November 2014.

The post of Chief Information Commissioner has been vacant since August 22 when Rajiv Mathur retired. The Chief Information Commissioner is to be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a three-member committee headed by the Prime Minister, that includes the Leader of the Opposition and a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.

“All that it needed was for the meeting to be called and appointment made,” Nikhil Dey of the National Campaign for the People’s Right To Information said. “The appointment was not held up by the lack of a Leader of the Opposition, because the RTI Act clearly states that the leader of the single largest opposition is also acceptable. If transparency had mattered to the government, they would have made the appointment a priority,” he said.

Former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has long said that rising pendency is killing the landmark Act. “When I was in the CIC, we decided that we would dispose of a minimum of 3,200 cases per year. I myself was doing 5,000 cases a year and 6,000 in my last year. Yet this norm is being flouted, and Information Commissioners are working less and less, and pendency is piling up,” he said.

Reflecting recent news developments, there has been a big rise in the number of RTI appeals against the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the University Grants Commission, the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. Over a third of cases involve appeals against the Ministry of Defence alone.