Annual Report 2013 26 9
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
_________________________ ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Punjab State Information Commission Chandigarh CONTENTS CHAPTER SUBJECT PAGE NO. 1. Introduction 1 2. Salient Features of Right to Information Act, 2005 2 3. Punjab State Information Commission 5 4. Staff of the Commission 14 5. Budget of the Commission 16 6. Adjudicatory functions of the Commission 17 7. Video Conferencing Facility, visitors of different 22 states and internship 8. Observations and Recommendations 24 9. Punjabi Language Annual Report 2013 26 9. Annexures:- 55 A. List of Penalty Cases in State Information Commission, Punjab w.e.f 01.01.2013 to 31.12.2013 10. Annual Returns received from public authorities 65 under section 25 of RTI Act. 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Chapter 1- Introduction Every citizen, who is a common man, is seen hopelessly grappling with corruption in every public sphere that affects his/her life. The colonial legacy of secrecy and lack of trust resulted in developing a non participatory public system, even in independent India. This system, which is based on opaque style of functioning, provides enormous power and privileges for legitimizing inordinate delays and denial of information. The Right to Information Act (RTI) is an Act of the Parliament of India "to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens" and replaces the erstwhile Freedom of Information Act, 2002. The Act applies to all States and Union Territories of India except Jammu & Kashmir. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen may request information from a "public authority" (a body of Government or "instrumentality of State") which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerize their records for wide dissemination and to proactively certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally. This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 13 October 2005. The Right to Information is now a „Fundamental Right‟ of a free citizenry, from which other basic human rights can flow, and no society can claim to be truly free unless it has both the instrumentality and the practice of this right, whether it be called the freedom of information as it is in most countries where it is practiced at present, or the right to information which it has become after it has been so declared in the world‟s largest and increasingly intense democracy with the enforcement of India‟s Right to Information Act in October 2005. 2 Chapter– 2 Salient features of Right to Information Act, 2005 The Right to Information is a powerful tool in the hands of the common people and the Right to Information Act 2005, has empowered every citizen of the country to seek information from various public authorities. The Act prescribes disclosure of information suomoto on the working of the public authorities which has to be updated from time to time along with the designation of Public Information Officers and Assistant Public Information Officers who will receive and process the requests for information from any information seeker and give the required information within the specified time limit. The Act also prescribes designation of First Appellate Authority by every public authority to consider the appeal against the decision of the Public Information Officer. Information Commissions have been constituted by the Central Government and State Governments to inquire into complaints or appeals against the orders of PIO and the first appellate authority and to monitor implementation of the provisions of the Act by the public authorities. The salient points of the Right to Information Act, 2005 may be summarized as under:- (i) Every citizen of India can seek information from any public authority without specifying the reason for seeking the information; (ii) Public authorities are to furnish the required information to the applicants through the designated Public Information Officers within the specified time. (iii) The required information can be denied only under exemptions provided in the RTI Act 2005; 3 (iv) The information to the applicant should ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought; (v) Fees for information as may be prescribed are chargeable. Persons belonging to BPL are not liable to pay any fee provided BPL cards are produced; (vi) When a request for information has been rejected, the Public Information Officer shall communicate to the person making the request – - the reasons for such rejection; - the period within which the appeal against such rejection may be preferred; and - the particulars of the Appellate Authority; (vii) The Public Information Officer shall provide the required information or reject the request within 30 days of receipt of such request; (viii) Person aggrieved by the decision of the PIO has the right to prefer an appeal within 30 days before the First or Departmental Appellate Authority (FAA) designated by the concerned authority (ix) Person aggrieved by the decision of the First Appellate Authority (FAA) has the right to prefer a second appeal within 90 days before the Central or State Information Commission. The decision of the Central or State Information Commission is final and binding on the public authority; (x) Information concerning the life and liberty of a person has to be given within 48 hours from receipt of the application; (xi) The Central or State Information Commission has the power to impose penalty upon, and to recommend disciplinary action against, the Public Information Officer on grounds specified under the Act; 4 (xii) The provisions of the Act have an overriding effect on any other law for the time being in force including the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923; (xiii) The appropriate Government and competent authorities are empowered to make rules to carry out the provisions of the Act; (xiv) The appropriate Government is required by sub-section (1) of Section 26 to perform the following :- - To develop and organize educational programmes to advance the understanding of the public as to how to exercise the rights contemplated under the Act - To encourage public authorities to participate in the development and organization of educational programmes and to undertake such programmes themselves; - To promote timely and effective dissemination of accurate information by public authorities about their activities; and - To train State Public Information Officers of the public authorities and produce relevant training materials for use by the public authorities themselves. 5 Chapter - 3 Punjab State Information Commission As provided under section 15(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, Punjab Govt. constituted the State Information Commission Punjab on October 18, 2005 and Sh.RajanKashyap IAS, who retired as Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab, was appointed its first Chief Information Commissioner. After the superannuation of Sh.RajanKashyap on 29.07.2008, Sh.P.K.Verma, State Information Commissioner was appointed as officiating Chief Information Commissioner vide Punjab Govt. Notification No.2/41/2005-1AR/573-581 dated 07.08.2008 and he continued as such till 28.06.2009. He was succeeded by Sh.R.I.Singh IAS, Chief Secretary (Retd.), who assumed charge as Chief Information Commissioner on 29.06.2009. Section 15(1) of The Right to Information Act, 2005 provides that the Punjab Government shall constitute the State Information Commission to exercise the powers conferred on and to perform functions assigned to under the Act. The State Information Commission has the responsibility to adjudicate over appeals and complaints filed by information seekers who are aggrieved either with non response or vague, misleading or incorrect information supplied by concerned Public Authorities. COMMISSIONERS In the year under report, the following Information Commissioners were in position:- Chief Information Commissioner - Sh.R.I.Singh, Chief Information Commissioner; Shri R.I.Singh, IAS (Retd.), former Chief Secretary to Govt. Punjab was appointed Chief Information Commissioner, Punjab under section 15 of the Right to Information Act, 2005. The Chief Information Commissioner was administered the oath of office by H.E. the Governor of Punjab on 29.06.2009.His term of office is up to 28.06.2014. 6 State Information Commissioners:- Date of Qualification & Sr. Name Date of Oath Super- Experience annuation M.Sc. Botany, M.Ed. from PU, Chd., Worked with the Bethany Society for the Mrs.Jaspal 1. 13.11.2009 12.11.2014 Development of the poor Kaur kids and ladies, worked for the welfare of dear & dump people for last 12 years. Sh. B.C. B.Sc., IAS, Worked on 2. Thakur (IAS 11.08.2011 14.06.2015 various Administrative post Retd.) with Punjab Govt. B.Sc.(Med.), LLB and Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication from Punjabi Uni. Patiala, 7 Sh.Chander 3. 11.08.2011 10.08.2016 years experience as Parkash Advocate in Bathinda Courts and worked with a leading media house of northern India. Mechanical Engineer (3yr. Diploma) worked as Chief Engineer in M/s Rana Sh. Ravinder 4. 14.02.2012 13.02.2017 Sugars Ltd. Amritsar and Singh Nagi engaged in other professional and social activities Sh. B.E. from Thapar Institute 5. Narinderjit 14.02.2012 01.12.2014 of Engineering Technology. Singh (IAS (Now Thapar University, 7 Retd.) Patiala, Diploma with distinction in Sartorial Technology & Management, IAS, worked on various administrative posts of Punjab Govt. Retd. as Secy. Deptt. of Information Technology, Punjab M.A. and Bachelor of Mass Communication Worked as special correspondent with Sh. Surinder 6. 14.02.2012 27.01.2016 "The Financial World", a Awasthi daily business paper published from New Delhi and Chandigarh Sh. B.A., LLB., practiced Law at 7. Harinderpal 14.02.2012 13.02.2017 Patiala Singh Maan M.A. (English), IAS, Worked on various administrative posts of Sh.