RTI being use as means to extort money: Gaikhangam

Nagaland Post: Imphal: Tuesday, 06 October 2015.

Manipur deputy chief minister Gaikhangam Monday expressed worried that Right to Information (RTI) Act was being used as a means to extort money from bureaucrat officers by some RTI activists.

Addressing as president of an inaugural function of the Right to Information Week Celebration–2015 here, the deputy chief minister asserted that the importance and benefits of this Act and at the same time the need to use it with responsibility.

Government has been striving to bring transparency and accountability in governance through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. However, RTI Act is like a double edged sword and so the intention of the RTI applicant must be responsible and holy.

Now there has come the time to have a look into the misusing the Act by some individuals as an easy way to earn money from the government officials. These individuals in the name of being RTI activists were using the Act as a means to extort money, he said.

He appealed not to misuse this Act, maintaining that RTI Act is like the holy Bible, the Geeta and the Quran.

The Right to Information Week Celebration–2015 was being organized by the Manipur Information Commission under the sponsorship of the Department of Personnel & Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension, government of India at the Auditorium of the Manipur State Film Development Society, Palace Compound, Imphal.

State chief minister O Ibobi Singh who graced the inaugural function as chief guest appealed to the people of the state to know their right to information and make legitimate use of it.

He said, RTI is a unified venture for the government and public conducive to a better and more developed state.

“I also call upon all stakeholders to use this occasion of RTI week to deliberate on issues abiding interest in the areas of transparency, accountability and good governance”, the chief minister added. He further appealed to all the government departments to make necessary voluntary disclosure of information as per provisions of the Act on the one hand and to the citizen not to misuse this beautiful Act on the other.

The State Chief Information Commissioner Th Ibobi Singh gave the welcome and the Keynote address of the Inaugural function said that the weeklong celebration was being organized with the objective of popularizing the RTI Act, 2005 and spreading awareness amongst stakeholders.