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| PIOs put on penalty notice for Govt's fault | | Failure to impart RTI training | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Aug 4: The Public Information Officers (PIO's) designated under J&K RTI Act 2009 keep getting penalty show cause notices from State Information Commission (SIC) under section 17 of J&K RTI Act for their failure to adhere to the provisions of State RTI Act. From the last 4 years many PIO's have been even penalized by the SIC, but the PIO's on the other hand have a genuine claim that most of them have not been given any training by the Government vis a vis RTI implementation.
Under section 23 of J&K RTI Act 2009 the Government is supposed to organize RTI awareness programmes for people as well as Government officials so that they understand the basic provisions of RTI Act. But as per reliable information such training programmes especially for Govt officials (PIO's) are not being undertaken at regular intervals.
The Institute of Management Public Administration (IMPA) and Rural Development does organize such programmes but not at regular intervals as Government is supposed to direct the IMPA to hold such workshops.
Even if some PIO's who got some basic training in past vis a vis RTI, majority of them are not designated PIO's as on date, because most of them got promoted or have retired from Government service. For example if some KAS officer was posted as Deputy Director in some directorate he or she usually is the designated PIO as well in the said direction office. After a year or so this officer gets transferred or promoted and is posted as Joint Director, Director or Additional Secretary to Government, then he or she is no more a PIO. The newly promoted officer who is the designated PIO is hardly familiar with RTI. Even if some training is given to the PIO in past after his promotion or transfer has no role to dispose off RTI pleas.
Most of the PIO's who are not RTI trained listen to their subordinate staff , clerks etc during disposal of RTI request and when these officers commit a blunder by charging exorbitant fees from RTI applicant, or don't provide information within stipulated time, they have to face the music of State Information Commission (SIC) who issue penalty show cause notices to them or sometimes they get penalized as well and the penalty money is recovered from their salary.
Recently a senior Government officer designated as PIO and presently posted as a District Sheep Husbandry officer (DSHO) Budgam was issued a penalty notice by the State Information Commission (SIC) when he could not dispose off an RTI plea from an applicant namely Nazir Ahmad Ganai a resident of Branwar Chadoora in central Kashmir's Budgam district. It was learnt that the said officer has never been trained by the authorities vis a vis Right to Information Act (RTI) but unfortunately the axe fell on him. Had this PIO been trained he could not have committed a mistake by not addressing the RTI applicant's plea.
"It is so unfortunate that most of the PIO's are not familiar with the provisions of J&K RTI Act 2009. The Govt has not trained them and they on the other hand become the direct targets under RTI law. We hope during disposal of RTI appeals/ complaints the SIC must enquire whether the PIO has been trained about RTI Act or not. It is duty of the Government to train its officers, why shall they make PIO's scape goats "said Dr Sheikh Nazir Ahmad a Social Activist from Nagam Budgam. |
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