The Arunachal Times: Itanagar: Thursday,
October 20, 2016.
Central
Information Commissioner, New Delhi M Sridhar Acharyulu has said that welfare
govt should not conceal information.
Addressing the decennial celebration of Right
to Information Act 2005 organised by the Arunachal Pradesh Information
Commission (APIC) on Wednesday at Banquet Hall, he ridiculed the public
authorities that denies information in the pretext of confidentiality. He
further said that if the system of governance improves the public redressal
system, there would be no need of RTI Act.
Acharyulu said that government often dodges
information under some sections of the RTI Act, while adding that if it
complied sincerely, the number of information seekers would be significantly
reduced in Arunachal.
Addressing on the occasion, newly inducted
Minister Tamiyo Taga said that government officials need not panic if
everything is right and transparent.
“If everything is right and transparent, there
is nothing to be afraid of information seekers. If you are reluctant to share information
that means something is wrong” said the Minister while urging the public
authority to be cooperative in information sharing.
The BJP stalwart further added that through
RTI Act, the government has empowered the citizens to access information, and
it is also duty of citizens to be vigilant.
However, the BJP Minister condemned the RTI
seekers who indulge in blackmailing and use the Act as a tool to earn money.
“Activists who indulge in selfish-motive are
creating nuisances and unnecessarily hampering the office works”, he said.
Taga opined that positive approach of RTI
activists should be to ensure judicious implementation of government schemes
and funds at the ground level.
Nagaland Chief Information Commissioner Toshi
Aier also outlined that if the authority comply to provide information, the
room for information seekers will be very less. Nagaland CIC also stressed that
Act is significant to improve the governance.
Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh Incharge
Hage Khoda expressed concern at negative impacts of RTI Act saying that there
was a flood of indiscriminate applications which has unnecessarily affected the
government’s working system. He opined that such practice should be discouraged
by every section of the society.
In the opening remark, the state Chief
Information Commissioner Dr Joram Begi said that democracy can be a success
only if the people are well informed and well educated terming the RTI Act as
an essential part of democracy to maintain transparency and good governance.
Dr. Begi also appealed to the RTI activists to
use the Act properly rather than using it as a blackmailing tool.
State Information Commissioner Abrabam K Techi
highlighted the achievements of State Information Commission since inception
through a power point presentation.
He informed that so far 1082 cases had come to
the Commission, out of which 969 have disposed off while 113 are pending. He
also disclosed that the total penalty imposed is more than Rs 19 lakhs.
Techi further said that state government is
not complying with the direction passed by the commission to initiate
disciplinary action against public authority under section 20(ii) of RTI Act.
Earlier, the commission felicitated
outstanding RTI activists Payi Gyadi, Nabam Pali and Ashan Ridi during the
function. It is said that Associate Professor RGU Ashan Ridi was the first RTI
Act applicant.
Later in the technical session, stress was put
on maximum disclosures of information by public authority that would minimize
applications under RTI Act. The technical sessions also emphasized on
significance of website by each department with information available and
updated.
The students of Donyi-Polo School for Visually
and Hearing Impaired, research scholars from RGU, students from Arunachal Law
Academy and Don Bosco College were among those who attended the event.
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