Times of India: Mumbai: Sunday,
October 16, 2016.
Chief
minister Devendra Fadnavis has brought all cabinet ministers and ministers of
state within the purview of the Right to Information Act with immediate effect.
A senior
bureaucrat said chief information commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad recently passed
a landmark order, saying since cabinet members are dealing with files of public
interest, receive applications/letters from the public and there is huge
correspondence between the ministers' offices and different departments, it is
necessary they are brought under the purview of the RTI Act.
It has been
decided to appoint a public information officer as well as appellate authority
in the office of the minister and minister of state. "Once the
appointments are made, information on files dealt by the cabinet members,
letters received by them, action taken thereof and correspondence between a
cabinet member and different authorities will be easily accessible. In fact, it
will bring in more transparency in the administration,'' he said.
The
bureaucrat said it will also help end red tape, as now the movement of files
will be accessible. "We will be able to ask reasons for delay in
processing a file. We expect better disposal of files,'' he said.
The
bureaucrat said since Fadnavis took over as CM two years ago, several measures
were taken to end red tape and curb corruption. "He brought in the
landmark Right to Guarantee of Services, so all services are now on-line and a
time frame fixed for disposal of applications. It will go a long way in
providing better services to the people,'' he said.
Besides,
several permissions have been reduced and there is a time limit on providing
permissions. "We are leading in ease of doing business," he said.
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