Dear Friends
PRESENT SCENARIO OF IMPLEMENTATION OF RTI ACT IN KARNATAKA
We are using RTI as a tool to bring transparency and good governance and to build corruption free society ,
day by day getting the information from Govt. departments becoming very difficult to a an common man ,
Most of the time within 30 days we will not receive any reply from PIO ,
Some times within 30 days the Public information officer replies but denies the information stating that files not found , missing or the information sought is exempted under Section 8 or the information of the information sought is very voluminous and some of the Public information officers quote some CIC Deccssions and supreme court dececission to evade or to conceal the information sought and further the public information officer will not give 1st appealate authority name and address ,
after lapse of 30 days the 1st appeal is fled before the concerned authority , the 1st appeal is neither heard by the 1st appellate authority within 30 / 45 days .
1st appellate authority is not taking RTI act very seriously since the penalty is imposed only on Public information officer not on 1st appellate authority , Inspite of honable supreme court made 1st appeal is compulsory ,
most of the times the 1st appellate authority hear the 1st appeal in several hearings even upto 1 year ,
If the appellant is absent and then the 1st appellate authority closes the case stating that appellant is absent and not interested to get the information , Most of the cases the 1st appellate authority is failing to direct the PIO to provide the information and not verifying the whether the correct and relevant information is provided to the applicant .
Then we have to approach the state information commission by filling 2nd appeal under section 19(3) , after filling 2nd appeal we have to wait more than a year for hearing , since the state information commissioners are hearing only a few cases per day upto Maximum 2 PM only like PART- TIME job .
In india all the courts from Trial court , High court and supreme courts normally functions between 10-30 am to 5PM But information commissioners working between 11am to 2-0 pm , afternoon they are not working .
Most of the information commissioners are meeting the Public information officers before and after the hearing of cases and discuss in advance how to evade the information sought by the applicant and in court hall also they are working on behalf of Public information officers and training the Public information officers how to evade and how to avoid the information sought
and how to dodge the information . In case of delay in providing information and for providing false , misleading information , the comissioners are not voluntarily imposing the penatly , But after demand from the applicants for imposing penalty under Section 20(1) , the information commissioners will not calculate the actual number of days and the penalty will be imposed , Information commissioners taking their own decisssion by not following the guide lines of the act and most of the cases penalty is not imposed to protect the public information officers
Most of the times the information commissioners threaten the applicants not to file any applications ,
A person who is from rural area applies for information under rti act for simple information like RTI and other revenue records and he has to come capital city by spending money and time and has to wait for years together to get the information ,
some times information is not provided stating that records not available , But the information commissioners closes the cases within a fraction of second, the applicants has to return with empty hand , if the applicant is absent for hearing then based on some acknowledgement shown by the Public information information officer or without acknownowldegment the cases will be closed , If the penalty imposed on the PIO ,then the applicant has to follow for recovery of penalty otherwise recovery of penalty is a great trouble and the applicant has to give change address of the PIO because frequent tranfer of employees , During filing of RTI application one fellow is working when the hearing of 2nd appeal in commmission some other person is working , Some of them retired and not provided information ,
The information commissioners appointed by the govt. are most of them are retired IAS , IPS officers and they are helping their earlier subordinates , friends by not furnishing the information . The information commissions have become rehabilitation centers for retired senior IAS , IPS officers and followers of political parties , Information commissions also become another common office like other govt. departments ,
The main purpose of the commission is not delivered , thousands of appeals pending for hearing and the CIC/SCIC are least bothered and most of the employees appointed in commission are out sourced and having any accountability , Maintanance of records is very bad and if we ask information under RTI with state information commission ,
We never get the information sought , they themselves not providing information but directions are issued to others to provide information ,
If we demand the service then the information commissioners direct to approach the high court and to challenge their orders , A common man how can approach the High courts to get information by spending money and time ,
The Bio-data and credentials of information commissioners are not verified by the govt. before the appointment ,
some of the information commissioner is having pending lokayuktha complaints and he will hear the RTI complaints filed to seeking information from lokayuktha , How he will give justice ? some of the information commissioner appointed is a candidate who lost /won the elections in earlier elections and enjoyed the power and so on , How we can expect tran
RIGHT TO INFORMATION IS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT BUT WHO WILL ENFORCE THE SAME TO BRING THE TRANSPARENCY , GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE COUNTRY AND TO CURB CORRUPTION IN COUNTRY
With regards
ARS KUMAR , BE,LLB, MA JOURNALISM , MA HUMAN RIGHTS
ADVOCATE , SOCIAL ACTIVIST & WEB JOURNALIST
SWAMY VIVEKANANDA RTI JANAJAGRUTHI MISSION
KARNATAKA -BANGALORE
On Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 9:24 AM, RTI Campaign, AP Andhra Pradesh <rticampaignap@gmail.com> wrote:
Sri Singalji,I fully agree what you have written. Pl see my att. article safeguarding democracy. More number of bad elements are on the prowl to pounce on the people to draw their blood by contesting the 2014 elections with tons of tainted money. We are doing our bit in a small way going to colleges and explaining them of the things you have written in your mailRegardsBhupathiraju Ramakrishnam RAju--On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 12:48 PM, DSouza Wilberious Evanglist <wilevades@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
RTI(Right To information) is a right of every citizen in Indian Democracy enshrined in the Constitution of India. RTI Act 2005 was a belated means to obtain this information. All of us have squandered it by not ensuring voluntary disclosure as per section 4 of that Act, & not concertedly supporting those who tried to expose corruption & lost their lives.India Against Corruption is not a viable & effective alternative. For,76% of Indian population subsists by earning just Rs. 25 per day. For these democracy, independence, right, corruption etc., are irrelevant for life is a struggle from birth to death.10% of the population of India control & possess 95% of resources & wealth of India, to whom democracy, independence, right, corruption etc, are of no consequence.Balance 14% of the population of India, consisting of salaried class & small businessmen belonging to lower, middle & higher income group, is engrossed in immediately after birth, to grow, educate oneself, find employment, marry, beget children, educate children, find them employment, marry them, by which time these persons superannuate, accept pension, sit on easy chair, read newspaper & wait for the day to pass by & eventually leave this world.May be one per cent of these after superannuation indulge in these rhetoric of uprooting corruption etc.,The elected government knows fully well, that it is never accountable to the governed by provisions or absence of it in the constitution of India, there will not be any resistance or opposition from 76%, 10% feed them fat, 1% of 14% bark but seldom bite! If 1% become too loud deal them a bludgeoning blow & silence them forever!Hardly anyone in India has realised & understood that by obtaining independence from British, & later declaring India as Sovereign, Socialist, Democratic Republic, citizens of India have achieved only that which is very insignificant, i.e, transition from rule by conventional Kings & Queens who adorned a throne & wore crown too, to those Kings & Queens who are elected by people of India indirectly via their representatives, lasting only for 5 years or less, those who do not adorn throne nor wear crown. This applies to every democracy in this world!Hence, DEMOCRACY IS GOVERNMENT BY A PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE & FOR THE PEOPLE. is only a fleeting mirage, everywhere in every democracy in this world & alas! this will never change for King or Queen elected by people will only rule autocratically & despotically for once they become King or Queen, they are no longer remain ordinary citizens!Paradox is, citizens of India have to seek justice from those who perpetrate injustice! It is as absurd as a rape victim approaching the rapist seeking justice for the crime he had committed on her.Nothing is going to change, unless procedure in place, managed outside elected Government & Judiciary, established by referendum of people & managed by people , rendering Constitutional Authorities, State (Art.12) functionaries & Judiciary accountable to people , with clear penalty both pecuniary & punitive for wrongs by these, by acts or omissions. No constitutional Authority or State Functionary or Judicial authority should function after attaining 60 years providing uniform age of retirement included as constitutional provision, with operation of Art 14. of Constitution. Any position should have a qualified person, just as for any job a qualified person is recruited. More ----
From: Gopalkrishnan iyer <iyer_ga@yahoo.com>
To: "rti4empowerment@googlegroups.com" <rti4empowerment@googlegroups.com>; Gr Nyaya Bhoomi <nyayabhoomi2003@gmail.com>; Gr Rti4Empowerment <rti4empowerment@yahoogrouops.com>; Gr RTI_india <admin@rtiindia.org>; Gr Parivartan <parivartan@parivartan.com>; Gr Kabir <kabir.rti@gmail.com>; "Gr Humjanenge @ Yahoo" <HumJanenge@yahoogroups.co.in>; "Gr Humjanenge@Google" <humjanenge@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 24 July 2013, 12:31
Subject: Re: [rti4empowerment] How to celebrate Independance Days
--Over the last 2 decades I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing to celebrate for common man and those 60-70% struggling to to make both ends meet day after day with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel! Celebration and further waste of money by the government to depict their war power (borrowed and purchased) at the so called capital of the country which also is the capital of corruption and scams giving least chance to the people at the remote places to know what life is, what is nutritious food, what are required for carrying on life- languishing in utter miserry appearing to have retired to the fact that "this is life"! I am only reminded of the urchins on the road junctions attempting to sell small flags to those having everything in life, food, shelter, clothing, in cars halting at the signals! No doubt there is a pleasing smile in the faces when thy are able to sell it but for the boy with the torn half pant without buton fastened to his body precariously, and the girl of 9 wearing the shirt of a fully grown man seen commonly are oblivious of what is independence or slavery! The fact that we all claim to have a government appearing to be not doing any thing can be of much less consequences to those children and their parents, if they are alive!!! The government said to be constituted by the so called elected representatives, who possibly have got their votes from a sizable number of people who in all probability had a few meals only prior to elctions out of the bribe money paid for buying votes to stay in power! It is quite unfortunate that ever since "independence" we have not had a leader worthy of the name (save & except L.B Shastri) only exposes the nature and charecter of our (dirtiest) politics! It is easy and safe for the politicians in power to ask the democratically protesting
public to stand for election and win to bring about a change in the roten system even the minimum that is required for sustainence, leaving their means for survival!! Myself, my family members, and innumerable friends and known peaople have lived prior to independence and after and it was and is certain that the state of affairs of India if British had continued would have been far, far better in the last 65 years like HOng Kong or other colonies!! With millions of my brotheren having to struggle for basic necessities in the said to be independent india when funds meant for millions are siphoned away to starve them to death much against the oaths taken any celebration has no meaning but the days should be one observing sorrow or at best one motivasting them to rise against the misdeeds! Unfortunatly for those already starving (hunger strike is not a tool to protest) how that person can be motivated appears to be only means for a few meals prior to elections as stated earlier! Remember the rich and affluent participation in the election prcess is least as they packup and escape to cozy comforts making the voting day and a few more
days a holiday vote or no vote!!! For them it is celebrations allthrough! We have poor in millions who are driven away every day from the cities' verandas without having a place to go and for them what and how does Independence day matter!!
From: M K Singhal <mk.singhal@yahoo.co.in>
To: Gr Nyaya Bhoomi <nyayabhoomi2003@gmail.com>; Gr Rti4Empowerment <rti4empowerment@googlegroups.com>; Gr Rti4Empowerment <rti4empowerment@yahoogrouops.com>; Gr RTI_india <admin@rtiindia.org>; Gr Parivartan <parivartan@parivartan.com>; Gr Kabir <kabir.rti@gmail.com>; "Gr Humjanenge @ Yahoo" <HumJanenge@yahoogroups.co.in>; "Gr Humjanenge@Google" <humjanenge@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 23 July 2013 7:53 PM
Subject: [rti4empowerment] How to celebrate Independance Days
--We will shortly be celeberating Independence Day (on Aug 15). This is the most important national day since we got authority for self rule through democratic functioning on this day, 63 yrs ago, from British rulers, after many sacrifices. We generally waste this day by reviewing our physical achievements and failures only. We do not review if the self rule we sought and got on this day is yielding good results as per our expectations and if not what ails it. Self rule is achieved by our electing our representatives to various democratic institutions of governance and relying on them to work for our benefits. Hence, our review on this day should actually limit to review of performance of our various democratic institutions and our elected representatives. Why is it that our self rule has led to far more corruption and injustice than under the former British rule. We should take solemn oath on this day to the effect that we shall play our role for ensuring good self rule by ensuring that (1) we and all our near and dear ones do exercise their right to vote at elections, (2) before voting, we assess the suitability of contesting candidates by reviewing their and their party's income, assets and crime records and then make up our mind as to whom to vote. To enable voters to assess candidates background, the candidates should be required to give the required abstract information in the form of pamphlets where reference to website links where full details could be found should also be given. The candidates pamphlets giving slogans only must be ignored and discouraged.
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Regards
B.Rama Krishna Raju,UF-RTI
+91-9246563738--
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