[HumJanenge] DoPT gets tough with NAC on RTI Rules

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NAC-govt-lock-horns-now-over-RTI-changes/articleshow/7454549.cms

The government refused to budge on the controversial RTI amendments in a meeting with the National Advisory Council on Tuesday. In fact, the wedge between the Sonia Gandhi-led council and the government got deeper with yet another ministry — this time the Union ministry of personnel — defying the thinktank and not entertaining the group's foray into its turf.

On Tuesday, the ministry of personnel met the NAC sub-group on Right To Information Act and the results were no different, sources told TOI. The bone of contention between the two was the mandate to limit a RTI application to one subject and 250 words and abatement of an appeal after an applicant's death.

Despite insistence by the Council headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the department had rejected these key suggestions on the draft  RTI rules and instead sent a 13-page reply to the council on its observations on the rules.

On Tuesday, while the NAC sub-group members argued that these rules should be dropped as they were against the spirit of the act, officials of the department of personnel and training (DoPT) did not give in. An activist who attended the meeting said, "The attitude of the officials was quite hostile. We don't think there will be a solution soon."

Yet another NAC member speaking to TOI said, "There was an exchange of views but the ministry officials did not budge on the critical concerns." Sources said that there could be another meeting with DoPT before the NAC meeting on February 26.

The rules framed by the personnel department lay down provisions for the application process, fee for providing information, filing first appeals and appointments in information commissions.

One of the provisions that the council had expressed its strong reservations is that an applicant will file an application in not more than 250 words, excluding the address of the public information officer and the applicant.

The draft rules lay down that the application would only be on a single subject. Despite objections, the department has refused to budge and said that it is the well-educated who are unable to write an application in 250 words and instead go into long-winding explanations.

Abatement of an appeal in case of an applicant's death has also raised the ire of activists who have argued that this could be misused to kill people asking uncomfortable questions.