Scroll.in: National: Wednesday,
02 September 2020.
The
coronavirus pandemic has bruised the world significantly. In India, the
extended lockdowns have slowed down most activities. However, it has also given
people more time for contemplation and to get together for discussions and
education sessions.
Video
conferencing and webinars have been in vogue for many years, but the Covid-19
crisis has pushed these forums to a new level. Previously, most lectures and
conferences involved extensive travel. Now, people have suddenly discovered
that video meetings, lectures and conferences can be nearly as effective besides being cheaper and taking up less time.
One of
the fields that has taken this opportunity with great enthusiasm are those
involved with the Right to Information. By its very nature, this group is not
centralised. Hundreds of groups and individuals across India are working to
educate citizens about how to use the Right to Information Act effectively to
ensure official transparency.
Weekly
meetings
Since
the RTI Act was passed in 2005, most people in positions of official authority
seem to have developed a strong dislike for it. After all, the legislation
empowers the citizen and levels the power equation. However, citizens have
promoted the RTI in a very dissipated manner.
But
since lockdown, web events about the Act draw in participants from across the
length and breadth of India all sitting in their homes.
Some of
these have become weekly meetings of RTI users and activists. I participate in
two such groups. One of these is RTI Katta organised by Vijay Kumbhar of Pune.
Among those who participate in the meeting are retired senior bureaucrats. An
intense exchange of information about various aspects of the RTI Act takes
place and there are lively debates about the provisions and implementation of
the law.
Recently,
this resulted in the discovery that the High Courts of Calcutta and Karnataka
have issued judgments mandating that Information Commissions must dispose cases
within 45 days. Currently, they take one to three years. As one of the
outcomes, a legal notice has been issued to the Maharashtra Information
Commission to draw up a roadmap for how they will abide by these directions.
Since the Commission has not responded to this in any manner, a PIL is being
filed.
There is
another group organised by RTI activist Shivanand Dwivedi from Madhya Pradesh.
It has the distinction of having Rahul Singh, the current Information
Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh, chairing and moderating the discussions.
Cross-country
discussions
Such
cross-country discussions, with participants from rural areas too, did not
occur with this frequency and ease before this. Perhaps the RTI movement will
spread faster and draw a lot of energy from using web technologies. I have been
participating in both these and can see a definite change in the RTI activists.
Many RTI
applications are being filed covering such urgent matters as the purchase
prices of masks, Personal Protection Equipment kits, ventilators and other
procurements. The information obtained has led to some outrageous scams being
prevented, saving a lot of public funds. Queries have also been raised about
the availability of medical facilities.
Many RTI
applications have sought information from the Railways and other authorities
about the fate and neglect of the migrant workers. The nation has been
scandalised by the illegal action the PM Cares fund refusing to make
information about itself public. They are refusing with the knowledge that they
can draw out the legal challenges to their illegal decision.
Even
information about the schedules of trains to ferry migrant workers and
availability of beds in hospitals was not easily available. leading to anxiety,
misery and even loss of life.
Official
lag
But
while RTI activists have effectively started using technology and the
opportunity presented by the lockdown, most of the Information Commissions that
are expected to safeguard the citizen’s fundamental right were laggards at
doing their job.
There
are a total of 28 State Commissions and one Central Information Commission. A
report in May by the Satark Nagrik Sangathan and Center for Equity Studies
found that out of these only the Central Commission and six State Commissions
were working using video conferencing. The other 22 Commissions had suspended
their work and were enjoying fully paid leave without doing work.
Some of
them have now started working after being shamed by citizens. This was despite
the fact that the Central Information Commission has been using hearings by
video conferencing for over ten years. All Information Commissions must work at
full strength or at least have the good sense to accept the elementary
principle of “No Work, No Pay”.
Indians
have converted this crisis into an opportunity to strengthen our fundamental
Right to Information and will pursue this course by combining their strength
across the country. It would be good if the Information Commissions would learn
and draw inspiration from this example set by citizens.
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