DNA: Mumbai: Monday, December 12,
2016.
While the
state continues to drag its feet on offering a website dedicated to the Right
to Information Act, 2005, an NGO has come out with an exhaustive RTI portal.
While an official state government RTI portal has been in the pipeline for the
past four years, the last update from the government was that it would be
launched after the monsoon session.
The website
developed by the NGO promises to provide exhaustive information pertaining to
the filing of RTI applications, RTI rules of various states, orders of the
Supreme Court and High Courts, among other related details. The website seeks
to provide regular RTI applicants with answers to any queries they may have, as
well as initiate a first-time applicant to ways in which an RTI application can
be filed.
Called
mahitiadhikarmanch.ngo - named after the NGO which derives its name in Marathi
from the RTI Act, the portal has rules of different states in their respective
state languages. The RTI Act itself is available in 10 languages including
Marathi,besides English and Hindi, on the website.
“A lot of
organizations do work on RTI. However, there is no single website that gives
the information on all the details about the RTI. On our website, we have put
up the RTI Act and even the rules in all languages. There is a link to all
information commissions and all organizations that work towards the RTI Act.
There are important SC and HC judgments related to RTI Act, motivational songs
and talks by various people. Information will also be provided of various
workshops on RTI that people can look forward to attend. We are trying to make
the website as live as we can make it,” said Bhaskar Prabhu, of Mahiti Adhikar
Manch, that has come out with the website.
The website
will be followed by a RTI vehicle that will educated people on the Act moving
from place to place. “In future we will also put up details of all the Acts
that relate to or compliment the RTI Act like the Indian Evidence Act, Records
Maintenance Act, Services Act and all other Act that co-relate with the RTI,”
said Prabhu.