RTI Act powerful tool for transparency

By A Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, July 5 – With the emergence of corruption as the greatest public enemy, the relevance of the Right to Information Act has become all the more relevant in a region like India’s Northeast. The Act could act as a tool to usher in probity in public affairs and also pinpoint accountability to all government functionaries and organisations receiving substantial government funds.Recently appointed Governor of Meghalaya and former State Information Commissioner, Assam, RS Mooshahary said this in Guwahati today. Delivering a talk on the RTI Act in a meet organised by the Gauhati Management Association, Mooshahary said that it was not enough that people received information through the process, but used that knowledge to identify corrupt practices and persons. Spelling out the Act in some detail, he said that it was a powerful tool that was brought in for greater transparency and accountability in governance. Because of its marked autonomy, the Information Commissions are held in high regard by various government departments. People could either approach the Public Information Officers in departments concerned to seek information, or approach the head of the office if there were not any PIOs. In case they failed to receive information, or believed that the information provided was doctored they could approach the State Information Commissioner.Significantly, he revealed that even though in most of the cases the authorities had 30 days to dispense information, in the event of “life and liberty,” government officials must provide information within a 48-hour time frame. He cited several instances, which showed how information was extracted from several government offices even though they were initially reluctant to provide it. In one case, gross irregularities were found in the working of the Public Distribution System of Golaghat district.Finally, information acquired through RTI applications were able to help investigation, which led to the arrest of several officials and streamlining of the system. This has been an eye-opening development for several other NGOs working in Assam.Mooshahary was of the belief that the RTI has been able to make a change in the mindset of some people as well as officials who are aware of its power. Officials now know that whatever notes they made on files could now be examined by a member of the public. With a note of regret, he mentioned that the Assam Government has not done much to spread public awareness about the Act. He said that much better awareness was necessary for the Act to be become a real harbinger of change. source: assam tribune