Rising Kashmir: Srinagar: Monday, April 13, 2015.
The Jammu and
Kashmir State Information Commission (SIC) has asked the State government to
ensure good governance by “ushering in a dawn of transparency and
accountability”.
The SIC, which
is headed by Chief Information Commissioner, G R Sufi, has made several
recommendations to the State government and asked it to take measures for
accelerating the process of computerized management information systems by all
the public authorities in the State.
In the
2012-13 annual report that was tabled in the recently held Budget session in
Jammu, the winter capital of the State, SIC recommended that every
administrative department should collect at its own level quarterly and annual
return progress reports in relation to the public authorities within their
jurisdiction.
SIC is
enjoined with the task of ensuring transparency and accountability in the
working of the public authorities.
It is
responsible for striving hard for promoting and propagating the culture of
accessing information held by and under the control of the public authorities
as a matter of right given to common people under the transparency law.
SIC came into
being after the J&K Right to Information Act 2009 in March 20, 2009 set out
a practical regime of right to information in Jammu Kashmir at par with
Government of India’s RTI Act.
The
commission in its report suggested the government to tap all forms of mass
media for undertaking an extensive public awareness program to educate the people
about their Right to Information as required under section 23 of the J&K
Right to Information Act 2009.
It also asked
the government to make the publication of the act in Urdu available on the
internet and disseminated in print form.
The
commission recommended to the government that the First Appellate Authorities
were not yet sensitive toward discharging the statutory duties cast upon them
to adjudicate First Appeals.
The SIC
suggested that the officer designated as FAAs must rise to the occasion and adjudicate
the first appeals filed by RTI applicants before them.
It
recommended to the government that the DCs of all the districts should monitor
and supervise the implementation of the RTI Act.
The
commission also suggested that the offices of the public authorities should
display a standard board containing essential information about them under RTI
Act in such areas where internet facilities were not available.
The SIC has
also suggested to the government to include the list of NGOs which fall under
the definition of public authorities as per section 2 (f) (b) and are
substantially funded by the government.
The
commission has recommended that every administrative secretary should be made
responsible for assuring pro-active disclosure by a public authority within
their purview.
“All public
authorities in the State must strictly fulfill their obligations under Section
4 of the RTI Act,” the SIC suggested the government.
.JPG)
.JPG)
