Merinews: New Delhi: Monday,
April 11, 2016.
Haryana Chief
Secretary deserves all compliments for holding a special RTI workshop on April
6, 2016 at Chandigarh for senior officers of the state exclusively for purpose
of ensuring better compliance of section 4 of RTI Act in the state. Chief
Secretary gave so much importance to the workshop that he remained present
throughout duration of the workshop.
Section 4 for
suo-motu disclosure of information on website without being asked through
filing of RTI petitions is the soul of RTI Act and its proper compliance by all
public-authorities at the centre and different states can reduce number of RTI
petitions being filed to just half.
But,
unfortunately it is the most neglected section of RTI Act perhaps because there
is no penal-provision for implementing authority in RTI Act in regard to
section 4.
Even Prime
Minister in his inaugural address of CIC-convention at Vigyan Bhawan (New
Delhi) had stressed on digitalisation of information.
Department of
Personnel & Training (DoPT) should devise some mechanism for ensuring best
compliance of section 4 of RTI Act by all public-authorities at centre and in
states without requiring any amendment in RTI Act. One way can be to adopt
policy of 'name and shame' by massive publicity of those poor in compliance of
section 4 of RTI Act.
Funds spent
on such publicity will be much-much less than that saved by large reduction in
filed RTI petitions. Also public-authorities considered best in compliance of
section 4 of RTI Act can be encouraged also to motivate others through awards
and publicity.
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