Promoting RTI

There is an urgent need to expand the use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act-2005 in the State. While the RTI has emerged as a potent tool to fight corruption and ensure transparency and accountability in public offices, a number of constraints continue to hamper its application in the State. The absence of a Chief Information Commissioner and nine other Information Commissioners has effectively slackened the RTI's implementation. There have been growing complaints about the relaxed approach of government authorities towards applications filed under the RTI, and the absence of the RTI Commissioners has adversely affected the public grievance redressal mechanism. The Chief Information Commissioner, in particular, being a key figure in the implementation of the RTI Act, the State Government is under an obligation to fill up the vacancy at the earliest. NGOs working in the field have also called for shifting of the Chief Information Commissioner's office from the high-security Janata Bhavan complex to a more public-friendly area. This sounds reasonable, as easy and hassle-free access to the Commissioner's office is necessary for taking the RTI Act closer to the masses.

Given the role the RTI Act can play in ensuring a better democratic order by upholding the rights of the people, especially the poor and vulnerable sections, a concerted campaign to educate the public on the use of the Act is a dire need. As the State Government is not exhibiting the enthusiasm to popularise the Act, voluntary organisations will have to take the lead in taking it closer to the masses. The Government's reluctance to popularise the Act is hardly surprising, as it has been in the habit of concealing information rather than making those available in the public domain. For long governments had been parting with only those information which they feel safe to share with the people. But the RTI Act has brought about a sea-change to the situation, subjecting the governments to growing public scrutiny. Now the people can demand information on various acts of omission and commission on the part of the government machinery. Unfortunately, a large section of the populace in the State is still ignorant about the RTI Act and its varied applications. The time has come to make it a people's movement if the Act is to attain its cherished objectives of ensuring probity and transparency in public office. source: assam tribune