Moneylife: Pune: Tuesday,
3 December 2024.
In a case of better late
than never, the citizens of Jammu & Kashmir have, at last, got their own
RTI portal (www.rtionline.jk.gov.in), which was launched early this week, with
270 public authorities to whom you can file your RTI request and 27 pages of
lists of nodal officers with their contact numbers and email addresses.
While the then Union minister of personnel, public grievances & pensions launched the RTI online portal for the Central government in August 2013 and directed all the state governments to do so (which they subsequently did), RTI activists in both Jammu and Kashmir had to struggle relentlessly to finally get one.
Raman Sharma, a noted RTI activist, who was one of the prominent persons to steer the decade-long campaign, stated that “Since the launch of the RTI online portal in July 2013, which enabled citizens to seek information from Central government departments, people in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly RTI activists, had been demanding the creation of a similar portal for requesting information from the J&K government. We consistently highlighted the issue through media, made official representations and persistently urged the state authorities to introduce an online portal similar to the one provided by the department of personnel and training (DoPT).”
The general administration department (GAD), on 26th November, issued a circular stating that citizens can start applying from 10 December 2024. The circular states: “The RTI portal aims to provide citizens with the convenience of submitting RTI requests, checking their status, and receiving responses electronically, without the need to visit government offices in person. This digital shift will make the entire RTI process more streamlined, transparent and user friendly. The initiative will contribute to greater transparency, accountability and effective governance within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities have set a target for the portal to become fully operational by 10 December 2024.”
The submission made by RTI activists to the J&K government included performance-related action by all the public authorities. RTI activist Sharma elaborated that, while the capital districts are very responsive to the RTI Act, the remote districts should also be made accountable. He also stated that there is a need for the training of public information officers (PIOs) and appellate authorities (AA), if the RTI online has to become effective. Mr Sharma has suggested quarterly meetings of district authorities with citizen activists, awareness programmes for students in educational institutions and giving awards to officers who have shown efficiency in dealing with RTI requests.”
The GAD has directed all nodal officers to on-board their respective central public information officers (CPIOs) and first appellate authorities (FAAs) onto the RTI online portal, using the provided login credentials.
Coincidentally, activists have hailed the contribution of chief minister Omar Abdullah, as it was during his earlier tenure that the state J&K RTI Act, 2009 was established. However, following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A in 2019, the state-specific RTI Act was repealed, and the central RTI Act, 2005, came into existence. Now, the RTI online portal has also been launched in CM Abdullah’s present tenure.
Thus, this new initiative will allow residents of Jammu and Kashmir to electronically request information from public authorities, eliminating the need for the cumbersome and traditional process involving Indian postal orders (IPOs), demand drafts and other physical methods.
While the then Union minister of personnel, public grievances & pensions launched the RTI online portal for the Central government in August 2013 and directed all the state governments to do so (which they subsequently did), RTI activists in both Jammu and Kashmir had to struggle relentlessly to finally get one.
Raman Sharma, a noted RTI activist, who was one of the prominent persons to steer the decade-long campaign, stated that “Since the launch of the RTI online portal in July 2013, which enabled citizens to seek information from Central government departments, people in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly RTI activists, had been demanding the creation of a similar portal for requesting information from the J&K government. We consistently highlighted the issue through media, made official representations and persistently urged the state authorities to introduce an online portal similar to the one provided by the department of personnel and training (DoPT).”
The general administration department (GAD), on 26th November, issued a circular stating that citizens can start applying from 10 December 2024. The circular states: “The RTI portal aims to provide citizens with the convenience of submitting RTI requests, checking their status, and receiving responses electronically, without the need to visit government offices in person. This digital shift will make the entire RTI process more streamlined, transparent and user friendly. The initiative will contribute to greater transparency, accountability and effective governance within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities have set a target for the portal to become fully operational by 10 December 2024.”
The submission made by RTI activists to the J&K government included performance-related action by all the public authorities. RTI activist Sharma elaborated that, while the capital districts are very responsive to the RTI Act, the remote districts should also be made accountable. He also stated that there is a need for the training of public information officers (PIOs) and appellate authorities (AA), if the RTI online has to become effective. Mr Sharma has suggested quarterly meetings of district authorities with citizen activists, awareness programmes for students in educational institutions and giving awards to officers who have shown efficiency in dealing with RTI requests.”
The GAD has directed all nodal officers to on-board their respective central public information officers (CPIOs) and first appellate authorities (FAAs) onto the RTI online portal, using the provided login credentials.
Coincidentally, activists have hailed the contribution of chief minister Omar Abdullah, as it was during his earlier tenure that the state J&K RTI Act, 2009 was established. However, following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A in 2019, the state-specific RTI Act was repealed, and the central RTI Act, 2005, came into existence. Now, the RTI online portal has also been launched in CM Abdullah’s present tenure.
Thus, this new initiative will allow residents of Jammu and Kashmir to electronically request information from public authorities, eliminating the need for the cumbersome and traditional process involving Indian postal orders (IPOs), demand drafts and other physical methods.