हिंदी
Public Information Officers and Appellate Authorities of State Funded Universities participated in the workshop
Chandigarh, January 4 – A one-day workshop on ‘Minimizing Misuse of RTI’ was organized by the Haryana State Higher Education Council (HSEC) at Panchkula on Tuesday. Addressing the workshop, HSEC Chairman Prof. Brij Kishore Kuthiala said that the Right to Information Act is a very important step to inform the citizens about the activities of the government. Due to this law, a common citizen has got the right to get information from any government department. It is a big step against corruption, which serves to bring more transparency in the working of the government or administration; but RTI should not be misused for the wrong means, he added.
Prof. Brij Kishore Kuthiala suggested that a committee in the council can be formed which will consist of Public Information Officers (PIOs), first appellate authorities, advocates, RTI experts, etc. to take up the RTI-related problems of state universities and provide guidance.
Dr. Kailash Chander Sharma, Vice-Chairperson, HSHEC; expert speaker Sh. Ajay Jagga, Senior Advocate, Punjab and Haryana High Court and renowned administrator Smt. Urvashi Gulati, former Chief Secretary and former State Information Commissioner, Haryana addressed the participating first appellate authorities and PIOs of the 15 State-funded Universities.
Underlining the benefits of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Dr. Kailash Chander Sharma said that it empowers citizens to get the answers to their questions and build better-informed citizens. He also stated that the channel of RTI should not be used with the intent of blackmailing and misusing and emphasized that the process and procedure of the RTI Act should be thoroughly understood by PIOs and first appellate authorities.
Sh. Ajay Jagga explained the RTI Act in detail to the participants stating its meaning, objectives, important provisions and certain significant Supreme Court judgments. He also pointed out that only genuine RTI applications should be processed further. He suggested that standard operating procedures (SOPs) for certain common issues may be formed by the State Government.
Smt. Urvashi Gulati, former Chief Secretary, and former State Information Commissioner, Haryana highlighted the significance of the RTI Act stating that RTI information can be regarded as a public good, for it is relevant to the interests of citizens and is a crucial pillar for the functioning of a transparent and vibrant democracy. One should not underestimate the value of this right, she added.
She said that the basic rules and regulations of a university should not be concealed and should be in the public domain. The more open an organization becomes, the number of RTI applications will decrease and the organization will feel less harassed. She stated that PIOs, the first appellate authorities should have clarity about RTI, be impartial and should keep the public interest in mind while dealing and examining an RTI application. Provisions in the RTI Act itself guide as to how to stop the misuse of the Act. She suggested that PIOs, the first appellate authorities should not give advice and suggestions.
