<p>Civic agencies have failed to comply with the provisions of the Right to Information Act, seven years after the landmark legislation came into force, according to a study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The study conducted by Consumers Rights Education and Awarness Trust (CREAT) and Kria Katte for CIVIC, an NGO disclosed that seven civic agencies commonly frequented by public have not acted on Section 4 (1) of the Act, which mandates proactive disclosures by all public authorities.<br /><br />Section 4 (1) of the Act provides that every public authority shall computerise all records and make them accessible to the public.<br /><br />Y G Muralidharan, who conducted the study, said Section 4 (1) lists 17 categories of information which the public authorities need to disclose. “None of the departments have fulfilled even 40 per cent of the requirements. The websites of some departments do not contain organisation structure, power and duties of officials,” he said. He said departments should be more serious about proactive disclosure as it helps in promoting sustainable development by providing information on all schemes and programmes, and increases efficiency in public administration.<br /><br />The seven agencies covered by the study are: Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, Women and Child Development Department, Social Welfare Department, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. A K M Nayak, Chief Information Commissioner, who released a book on proactive disclosure, asked representatives of the civic agencies to identify consultants to implement proactive disclosures, if they don’t have the required manpower.<br /><br />Deadline <br /><br />Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, set a deadline of 30 days for civic agencies to conform to the provisions of Section 4 (1) of the Act. <br /><br />She said the State government would constitute a central monitoring cell under the DPAR to keep an eye on enforcement of the RTI Act. <br /><br />Shalini said meeting of a high-power committee on RTI, which mandates participation of all heads of civic agencies, would also be held at regular intervals hereafter.<br /></p>
<p>Civic agencies have failed to comply with the provisions of the Right to Information Act, seven years after the landmark legislation came into force, according to a study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The study conducted by Consumers Rights Education and Awarness Trust (CREAT) and Kria Katte for CIVIC, an NGO disclosed that seven civic agencies commonly frequented by public have not acted on Section 4 (1) of the Act, which mandates proactive disclosures by all public authorities.<br /><br />Section 4 (1) of the Act provides that every public authority shall computerise all records and make them accessible to the public.<br /><br />Y G Muralidharan, who conducted the study, said Section 4 (1) lists 17 categories of information which the public authorities need to disclose. “None of the departments have fulfilled even 40 per cent of the requirements. The websites of some departments do not contain organisation structure, power and duties of officials,” he said. He said departments should be more serious about proactive disclosure as it helps in promoting sustainable development by providing information on all schemes and programmes, and increases efficiency in public administration.<br /><br />The seven agencies covered by the study are: Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, Women and Child Development Department, Social Welfare Department, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. A K M Nayak, Chief Information Commissioner, who released a book on proactive disclosure, asked representatives of the civic agencies to identify consultants to implement proactive disclosures, if they don’t have the required manpower.<br /><br />Deadline <br /><br />Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, set a deadline of 30 days for civic agencies to conform to the provisions of Section 4 (1) of the Act. <br /><br />She said the State government would constitute a central monitoring cell under the DPAR to keep an eye on enforcement of the RTI Act. <br /><br />Shalini said meeting of a high-power committee on RTI, which mandates participation of all heads of civic agencies, would also be held at regular intervals hereafter.<br /></p>
