Governor comes under RTI Act – There is a landmark judgement by the Bombay High Court at Goa
In a landmark judgement , the Bombay High Court at Goa on 14 November 2011 ruled that the Governor is a Public Authority and does come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act.
On 31 March 2011, the State Chief Information Commissioner, Mr. Motilal Keny had ruled that the Goa Governor was a ‘Public Authority’ and did come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act. He directed the governor to furnish information sought by advocate Aires Rodrigues under the RTI Act
The Governor of Goa had refused to furnish information under the RTI Act. The Governor of Goa had claimed that he was not a ‘Public Authority’.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Freedom of information is a fundamental human right
“Freedom of information is a fundamental human right …….” – Resolution no. 59 (1), United Nations General Assembly 1946.
“Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideals of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” – Resolution no. 2200!9XXI), United Nations General Assembly 1966
‘Right to information’ (RTI) is a basic human right and now everyone has a right to know how the government is performing. There are certain questions to which people wish to know their answers. Where is his tax used? What is the amount spent by the government on the road construction? What is the fate of his application?
Openness to governmental processes opens the door to good governance.
A few state governments passed legislations on the freedom / right to information:
- Goa – 1977
- Tamil Nadu – 1997
- Madhya Pradesh – 1998
- Rajasthan – 2000
- Maharashtra – 2000
- Karnataka – Ordinance 2000
The Central Act on Right to Information was passed in May 2002, as the Government of India had the view that this was a central subject.
Why people wish to know? People wishes to know to gain power in democracy. And Knowledge is power. And knowledge is derived from information. A well functioned democracy should have the following three characteristics:
- A well informed citizenry
- An equal and effective right to participation in the affairs of the state (governance) by the citizens
- Accountable public authorities and leaders to the people
Accountability is the foundation of democracy and citizens should be entitled to have information relating to the functioning of the government, public institutions and conduct of public functionaries and authorities. It is required that quality of decisions is improved in the interest of public .
The RTI Act, 2005 came into effect on 12 October 2005. It is one of the most significant legislations enacted by the Government of India. The RTI Act aims to ensure openness and transparency in the governance at Central, State and Local levels.
With best wishes,
Keshav
“Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideals of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” – Resolution no. 2200!9XXI), United Nations General Assembly 1966
‘Right to information’ (RTI) is a basic human right and now everyone has a right to know how the government is performing. There are certain questions to which people wish to know their answers. Where is his tax used? What is the amount spent by the government on the road construction? What is the fate of his application?
Openness to governmental processes opens the door to good governance.
A few state governments passed legislations on the freedom / right to information:
- Goa – 1977
- Tamil Nadu – 1997
- Madhya Pradesh – 1998
- Rajasthan – 2000
- Maharashtra – 2000
- Karnataka – Ordinance 2000
The Central Act on Right to Information was passed in May 2002, as the Government of India had the view that this was a central subject.
Why people wish to know? People wishes to know to gain power in democracy. And Knowledge is power. And knowledge is derived from information. A well functioned democracy should have the following three characteristics:
- A well informed citizenry
- An equal and effective right to participation in the affairs of the state (governance) by the citizens
- Accountable public authorities and leaders to the people
Accountability is the foundation of democracy and citizens should be entitled to have information relating to the functioning of the government, public institutions and conduct of public functionaries and authorities. It is required that quality of decisions is improved in the interest of public .
The RTI Act, 2005 came into effect on 12 October 2005. It is one of the most significant legislations enacted by the Government of India. The RTI Act aims to ensure openness and transparency in the governance at Central, State and Local levels.
With best wishes,
Keshav
Saturday, December 13, 2008
RTI Success Stories
RTI Success Stories
Dear readers / friends,
The RTI Act 2005 enables every citizen access to public information from government records. RTI has become an important tool of social development and good governance.
I wish to post a few success stories where people have used RTI and got required information. Such success stories would be posted on this blog on “Right to Information Awareness” on http://rtiawareness.blogspot.com
Readers and friends are requested to email “RTI Success Stories” to me at keshavsinghalajmer@gmail.com with a brief profile of the contributor. Name of the contributor will be mentioned.
Thanking you,
Keshav Singhal
Dear readers / friends,
The RTI Act 2005 enables every citizen access to public information from government records. RTI has become an important tool of social development and good governance.
I wish to post a few success stories where people have used RTI and got required information. Such success stories would be posted on this blog on “Right to Information Awareness” on http://rtiawareness.blogspot.com
Readers and friends are requested to email “RTI Success Stories” to me at keshavsinghalajmer@gmail.com with a brief profile of the contributor. Name of the contributor will be mentioned.
Thanking you,
Keshav Singhal
Know what you want to know
Know what you want to know
You can use the RTI Act 2005 to know what you want to know :
Identify the information that you need. Write down the relevant questions (related to the information you need) on a sheet of plain paper.
Identify which public authority (government department, public sector body, NGO etc) has the information that you want.
Find out the contact details of the Public Information Officer (PIO).
Submit your application to the PIO, along with required application fee.
Don’t forget to get a dated and stamp receipt for your RTI application and fee paid by you.
You should get the information asked for within the prescribed period, usually 30 days.
If don’t get information within stipulated time limit or dissatisfied with the information, you have right to appeals as per provisions of the Act.
More details will be in next post.
Note from the author
The author of this literature has used his skills and knowledge to his best capacity to provide relevant and the latest information. Utmost care has been taken to ensure correctness and accuracy of the contents. However, omissions and errors, if any, in this literature are regretted. Reader’s suggestion for improvement is welcomed. Readers are requested to send their frank opinion, comment, criticism and assessment of this literature.
The purpose of this literature is to create awareness on Right to Information (RTI). The contents are merely for guidance and reference; however, publisher and author are not responsible in any manner for any mistake. In case of any legal use , it is suggested to cross-check the contents with authorized legal publications.
You can use the RTI Act 2005 to know what you want to know :
Identify the information that you need. Write down the relevant questions (related to the information you need) on a sheet of plain paper.
Identify which public authority (government department, public sector body, NGO etc) has the information that you want.
Find out the contact details of the Public Information Officer (PIO).
Submit your application to the PIO, along with required application fee.
Don’t forget to get a dated and stamp receipt for your RTI application and fee paid by you.
You should get the information asked for within the prescribed period, usually 30 days.
If don’t get information within stipulated time limit or dissatisfied with the information, you have right to appeals as per provisions of the Act.
More details will be in next post.
Note from the author
The author of this literature has used his skills and knowledge to his best capacity to provide relevant and the latest information. Utmost care has been taken to ensure correctness and accuracy of the contents. However, omissions and errors, if any, in this literature are regretted. Reader’s suggestion for improvement is welcomed. Readers are requested to send their frank opinion, comment, criticism and assessment of this literature.
The purpose of this literature is to create awareness on Right to Information (RTI). The contents are merely for guidance and reference; however, publisher and author are not responsible in any manner for any mistake. In case of any legal use , it is suggested to cross-check the contents with authorized legal publications.
Blog on Right to Information Awareness
Blog on RTI Awareness
Dear friends,
I got a chance to attend a national convention on “The Right to Information: The Road Ahead” on 12 – 13 December at the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula, Goa. The convention was organized by the Media Information and Communication Centre of India (MICCI) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in collaboration with The International Centre Goa (ICG). Delegates from 14 states participated in the convention.
Aruna Roy, Member, National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information and recipient of Magsaysay award for community leadership and international understanding, inaugurated the convention by delivering a keynote address. She said, “The Right to Information movement can help achieve accountability among bureaucrats and political leaders if citizens across the country use the act in a proper manner.”
Arjun Halarnkar, programme manager, ICG gave a welcome address and Nandini Sahai, director, MICCI delivered the theme address about the convention.
Participants from 14 states presented their papers on the assessment of “Reach and Impact of RTI: Role of Media” and delegates discussed issues related to RTI during the convention.
During the valedictory session of the convention, Nikhil Dey, member, National Campaign for peoples Right to Information and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan delivered the valedictory address and A. Venkatratnam, (IAS Retd.) Chief Information Commissioner, Goa delivered the special address in the convention.
Right to Information (RTI) provides us right to know. We can use the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 to stop corruption and avoid delays in getting our work done in government departments, municipal councils, village panchayat etc.
The RTI Act 2005 enables every citizen access to public information from government records. RTI has become an important tool of social development and good governance. Awareness among the people about the use of RTI has had a great effect on the working culture of the government. RTI has provided a base for new democracy. Let us use RTI to know the information we need from public authority. However, it is felt that a large number of citizens are unaware of the provisions of RTI Act.
To create awareness I have started this new blog.
Articles, news-briefs, write-ups will be posted on this blog from time to time.
Please visit this blog from time to time and advise me your comments.
Thanking you,
Keshav Singhal
Dear friends,
I got a chance to attend a national convention on “The Right to Information: The Road Ahead” on 12 – 13 December at the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula, Goa. The convention was organized by the Media Information and Communication Centre of India (MICCI) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in collaboration with The International Centre Goa (ICG). Delegates from 14 states participated in the convention.
Aruna Roy, Member, National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information and recipient of Magsaysay award for community leadership and international understanding, inaugurated the convention by delivering a keynote address. She said, “The Right to Information movement can help achieve accountability among bureaucrats and political leaders if citizens across the country use the act in a proper manner.”
Arjun Halarnkar, programme manager, ICG gave a welcome address and Nandini Sahai, director, MICCI delivered the theme address about the convention.
Participants from 14 states presented their papers on the assessment of “Reach and Impact of RTI: Role of Media” and delegates discussed issues related to RTI during the convention.
During the valedictory session of the convention, Nikhil Dey, member, National Campaign for peoples Right to Information and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan delivered the valedictory address and A. Venkatratnam, (IAS Retd.) Chief Information Commissioner, Goa delivered the special address in the convention.
Right to Information (RTI) provides us right to know. We can use the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 to stop corruption and avoid delays in getting our work done in government departments, municipal councils, village panchayat etc.
The RTI Act 2005 enables every citizen access to public information from government records. RTI has become an important tool of social development and good governance. Awareness among the people about the use of RTI has had a great effect on the working culture of the government. RTI has provided a base for new democracy. Let us use RTI to know the information we need from public authority. However, it is felt that a large number of citizens are unaware of the provisions of RTI Act.
To create awareness I have started this new blog.
Articles, news-briefs, write-ups will be posted on this blog from time to time.
Please visit this blog from time to time and advise me your comments.
Thanking you,
Keshav Singhal
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