[HumJanenge] Re: Reality check on SC pronouncement

Dear Members

A sitting Central Information Commissioner (whose legal knowledge is
legendary .. he is also an "eminent person" ) has seen fit to take on
the Supreme Court.

As usual this extremely confused individual applies his fallacious
logic (the same logic we see in his confused orders) to arrive at the
conclusion that only 0.208% of time is spent by Govt "employees" for
responding to RTI applications.

The Ld. IC has missed that the SC order refers to "staff" spending
their time in RTI and not "employees". He also fails to realise that
only "officers" are supposed to be attending to RTI work (as per the
Act). I wonder if.the Ld. IC can rework his calculations (and dubious
assumptions) to incorporate my points.

Sarbajit

> from: shailesh gandhi shaileshgan@gmail.com
> date: Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 6:49 PM
> subject: Reality check on SC pronouncement
>
> The Supreme Court in a RTI judgement* on August 9, 2011 made an observation
> which is affecting the minds of many Ministers and senior officials. The
> observation was, "The nation does not want a scenario where 75% of the staff
> of public authorities spends 75% of their time in collecting and furnishing
> information to applicants instead of discharging their regular duties. The
> threat of penalties under the RTI Act and the pressure of the authorities
> under the RTI Act should not lead to employees of a public authorities
> prioritising information furnishing, at the cost of their normal and regular
> duties."
>
> If 75% staff spend 75% of their time, it would mean 56% (0.75x0.75) of the
> total time would be spent on giving information. If this possibility ever
> comes about it would be scary and undesirable.
>
> I decided to do a reality check.
>
> According to the most optimistic estimate not more than 1 crore RTI
> applications are likely to be received in 2012 in all the public authorities
> in the States and Central Government together.
>
> The average time to attend each RTI application would be less than 3 hours.
>
> This means no more than 3 crore hours spent by all officers.
>
> If we assume that an average government employee works for just 6 hours a
> day for 200 days a year, it would mean he would work for a total of 1200
> hours in a year.
>
> 3 crore hours divided by 1200 hours is 25000 which means 25000 employees
> would be required full time.
>
> The Central Government and all State Governments have about 1.2 crore
> employees totally. This means that the total time spent by Government
> employees would be 0.208%.
> (25000 divided by 12000000=0.208%).
>
>
> To put this in the idiom of the Supreme Court's observation, no more than
> 4.6% officials are spending 4.6% of their time presently on giving
> information. The Supreme Court's observation has no connection with reality.
>
> * Civil Appeal No.6454 of 2011 CBSE vs. ADITYA BANDOPADHYAY & ORS.
>
>