RTI Act a mixed bag for information seekers
Special Correspondent
Lack of adequate Govt. support leaves many people frustrated
JAIPUR: The first year after the enactment of the much talked about Right to
Information Act has proved a mixed bag for Rajasthan, the State where it all
started as a people’s movement a decade ago. The common man armed with
provisions of the precious Act tried to seek information though lack of
adequate support from the Government in the form of training of its staff
and framing of rules left many information seekers frustrated.
The State’s Chief Information Commissioner remained a helpless observer at
times. “The first year has been crucial though what we could have done in a
year could not be accomplished. There is a need to make the law more
powerful and more effective,” says M.D. Kaurani, the Chief Information
Commissioner, who was the chief guest at a seminar on “One year of RTI in
Rajasthan: Problems and possibilities” here on Thursday.
“There is a feeling that the Commission has to be pro-active. I too agree
with this,” said Mr. Kaurani, adding that the CIC basically has the role of
a judge. Efforts were on to perk up the effectiveness of the Commission with
more resources and manpower, he informed, adding, “Whatever had been the
performance of Act in the first year, its significance has been widely
acknowledged.”
The seminar was organised under the auspices of CUTS, Centre for Consumer
Action, Research &Training, Jaipur, in collaboration with the Commonwealth
Human Rights Initiative,
While Mr. Kaurani said the common man was yet to fully make use of the Act
in Rajasthan, Nikhil Dey of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, a people’s
organisation which spearheaded the right to information movement in the
State, said thousands of citizens had tried to get information under the Act
in various parts of the State. “RTI has been the biggest newsmaker in the
past one year,” he added.
Mr. Dey said among the three most important components- the people, the
Government and the Commission — for implementation of the law, the
Government had lagged behind in creating a conducive atmosphere and making
provision for imparting information. “The Government’s role has been most
disappointing. It did not make adequate rules nor trained the staff or
provided support to the Commission,” he noted.
CUTS International secretary-general Pradeep S. Mehta said “soft laws” tend
to remain ineffective as long as the implementing agencies do not assume a
pro-active role.
“The Consumer Protection Act was passed two decades ago but Indian consumers
continue to be exploited,” he observed.
Venkatesh Nayak of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said RTI was not
an expensive law to implement and many States had already given training to
their staff in information dissemination.
If the Governments had the courage they could also bring private enterprises
under the purview of RTI, he said citing the example of
Microsoft as well as McDonald’s were under the RTI Act though not in their
own home country.
The workshop underlined the need for creation of an information
clearing-house manned by people who understand the documents.