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Patna,(BiharTimes): The chief secretary and the principal secretary of panchayati raj department have been asked by the State Information Commissioner, Farzand Ahmed, to enforce the system of "voluntary disclosures" under the RTI Act, 2005. |
Mr Ahmed in its first-ever move to ensure transparency in the functioning of government at grassroots level, said on Tuesday that "Voluntary disclosures” and their regular updating on the web is the best way to help information-seekers in getting information they need in a hassle-free manner without affecting day-to-day functioning of government offices. This would strengthen the roots of good governance and help banish corruption through transparency.
He made these remarks while passing order in a case related to functioning of three-tier panchayati raj system in Khagaria district.
Mr Ahmed asked the chief secretary to issue a directive to all development-related government departments to put all information in public domain.
He pointed out that the Act makes it mandatory for every 'public authority' to 'maintain all its records duly catalogued in a manner which facilitates the right to information under this Act, ensure that all records that are appropriate to be computerized within a reasonable time and subject to availability of resources, are computerized and connected through a network all over the country on different systems so that access to such records is facilitated.'
It needs to be recalled that the suggestion came in the wake of a case of Manoj Kumar Mishra, a resident of Gogri in Khagaria district, who had sought information regarding general body meetings of panchayats in different years, decisions regarding development schemes and their implementation between 1995 and 2009. He wanted all these information to be supported with documents and audit reports.
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