[HumJanenge] RTI News Articles: 11 Jul 2011

HT: 1,190 died of malaria in city last year: RTI
http://www.hindustantimes.com/1-190-died-of-malaria-in-city-last-year-RTI/Article1-720047.aspx
Last year, 1,190 people died of malaria in the city, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data obtained under the Right To Information Act by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Praja foundation. "We sought this data through RTI applications in all the wards. The trends that have emerged are very disturbing because of which we have written to the chief minister asking him to form a special task force to tackle curable diseases such as malaria and diarrhea," said Nitai Mehta, founder trustee of Praja.

MC: CIC slaps Rs 25,000 penalty on MEA Joint Secretary

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/current-affairs/cic-slaps-rs-25000-penaltymea-joint-secretary_564551.html
The Central Information Commission (CIC) today slapped a maximum penalty of Rs 25,000 on a Joint Secretary in external affairs ministry for "misleading" the Commission with "incorrect averments" on the information sought by a Kerala MLA on Rupee-Rouble Debt Fund.
Information Commissioner Annapurna Dixit in her penalty order said "no tangible reason" was given by the Central Public Information Officer Debraj Pradhan, Joint Secretary, for over three years of delay, in furnishing the information to P C George, a Kerala Congress MLA from Poonjar in Kerala.

TOI: HC stays Mah SIC's order on Anjuman-I-Islam
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/HC-stays-CICs-order-on-Anjuman-I-Islam/articleshow/9191111.cms
The order of the state chief information officer that held that Anjuman- I - Islam falls under the Right to Information Act and so, should furnish information sought under it was on Monday stayed by Bombay high court. A division bench of Justice P B Majmudar and Justice Mridula Bhatkar were hearing Anjuman-I-Islam's petition challenging CIC Bhaskar Patil's March 9, 2011 order holding that it falls under purview of Section 2 (h) of RTI Act 2005. It also directed information to be furnish to Moinuddin Shaikh, editor of Urdu weekly Haftroza Seerat.

DH: Usage of postcards, inland letters dip
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/175370/usage-postcards-inland-letters-dip.html
Perhaps it is not surprising in this age of instant communication via e-mails, SMSes and social networking, but reply to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query has shown that the usage of postcards and inland letters has declined sharply in the country. According to the Department of Posts, in the 10 years from 1999-2000 to 2008-09, the annual use of postcards declined from 336.45 crore to just 78.24 crore. Inland letters' sales dropped from 355.56 crore to 98.18 crore in the period. The postal department also revealed that even the use of registered post has declined, as many opt for speed post which is faster.

TOI: Text books should include a chapter on RTI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Text-books-should-include-a-chapter-on-RTI/articleshow/9186299.cms
It is better to catch them young and tell them about the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Teaching the basics of the Act to school students can go a long way. Driven by the same thought, law students in the country have started an initiative to press for inclusion of a chapter on RTI in school textbooks of political science. "We have got support from several people and organizations who have been working for effective implementation of RTI in the country," said Sachin Upadhyay, a student of Ram Manohar Lohia National Law university, Lucknow, who is associated with the endeavour. The group of law students will be handing over a petition to NCERT in this regard soon. The petition argues that when a student files an RTI application and gets access to government documents, he will learn more about how government works. Inclusion of a chapter on RTI in the school curriculum will also encourages students to take up further studies on the subject.