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RTI Without Users is like Democracy Without Elections. What RTI Can Do For You. Debashis Sen, IAS; Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal and Secretary to the Government of West Bengal. MKSS:Mazdoor Kisan Sakti Sangathan. Organisation. Election Commission. Information Commission.
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RTI Without Users is like Democracy Without Elections What RTI Can Do For You Debashis Sen, IAS; Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal and Secretary to the Government of West Bengal
Organisation Election Commission Information Commission
“..the Indian Act has the provision of a state information officer and a central information officer, a mechanism not available under the US Law..”
June 6, 2008: The Economic Times RTI Query leads to austerity drive. (Commerce minister spent 422 days outside India. MOS External Affairs spent 232 days abroad)
Information Information is any material in any form including records, documents, memos, emails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, log-books, contracts, reports, samples, papers, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any law for the time being in force
Notes Are file notings accessible to RTI Act?
Privacy • Photo-Roll • Non-Photo Roll
Public Authority =any authority/ body / institution constituted / established by / under the constitution/ law / govt and includes any body owned, controlled or substantially financed, NGOs substantially funded by govt.,
“RTI does not apply to Constitutional Authorities”…Addl. Solicitor-General, Central Government to Delhi High Court
“The Private bodies that we said should be under the RTI purview are stock exchanges and power distribution companies. The Bombay Stock Exchange and the Delhi Stock Exchange have obtained stay orders from courts.”
Cash-for-query scam 2005 11 MPs were suspended for taking bribes for posing questions in the Parliament
April 4, 2008 Need for better record keeping
TODAY’S TIMES OF INDIA Lalit Mehta was murdered last month in Jharkhand. His eyes had been gouged out, his hands broken. ...Because he unearthed corruption in NREGS.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high… …into that heaven of freedom , my father, let my country awake -Rabindranath Tagore THANK YOU debashisen@gmail.com