'All public places are not public authority'

ATI holds special training on RTI Act for district-level officials

Speaking as a resource person at a special training programme for district-level and taluk-level officers on improving transparency and accountability in government through effective implementation of Right to Information Act 2005, organised by the Administrative Training Institute in Mysore here on Tuesday, he said under RTI Act, an authority should provide information and not the individual. Unaided institutions do not come under RTI Act. However, one can get the information on private individuals through third party information. One will have to wait for 40 days to get information from third party. A public can have access to records, documents, memo, records, advises, press releases, circulars, contents, reports, paper, samples, models, data materials held in any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force, he added.

Dr Bhat said the RTI Act applies to the central, state and local governance. NGOs which get substantial finance from the government will also come under the purview of the RTI Act. All the Sports Federations except BCCI come under public authority.
All those cooperatives which has the ownership and control of the government also come under RTI Act.

To a query on whether mutts and temples come under RTI Act, Dr Bhat said that if the mutts and temples get financial assistance during a financial year, then they are deemed public authority and are accountable to the public.

Zilla Panchayat in-charge CEO Shivarame Gowda said by submitting an application by paying Rs 10, one can get information from a particular department within 30 days. The information which is related to the security of the country will not be disclosed. The RTI Act has brought in transparency in the system. The Act will play a vital role in warding off corruption in the system. There is a need to create awareness on the Act among the officials and the public.

Rs 21 lakh to train

Mysore Administrative Training Institute’s K R Prasad said that the government has released a sum of Rs 21 lakh to train all the district and taluk-level officers in RTI Act during 2011-12.

Assistant Commissioner Prabhulinga Kavalikatti, Zilla Panchayat Project Director Seethamma were present.