RTI section 4

The RTI Act Section 4

Anupam Saraph, Ph.D.Future Designer

Professor of Systems, Environment and Decision SciencesAdvisor on Complex Systems, World Economic Forum

Founder Life Member, Club of Rome, Indian National AssociationFormer CIO, Pune City

Former Vice Chairman Infotech Corporation of Goa Former Advisor IT and e-governance, Government of Goa

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Action mandated under Section 4

• 4(1)(a) Maintain catalogued and indexed records and ensure computerized access across networks

• 4(2) Provide as much information suo motu so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information

• 4(3) Disseminate information widely• 4(4) Make information easily accessible

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Checklist of records under 4(1)(a)

• Inward-Outward registers• Revenue and expenditure records• Orders, circulars and notifications• Advertisements and notices• Hearings, minutes of meetings, schedules• Staff and their availability• Reports and other publications• Petitions and court orders

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• List of Information, available to or held by it;• Facilities for obtaining information, including

the hours of a library or reading room;• Names, designations and particulars of the

Public Information Officers;

Information on Information Access

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• Directory of officers and employees;• Remuneration to officers and employees;• System of compensation as provided in its

regulations;• Particulars, powers and duties of its officers

and employees;• Accountability, procedure and norms of the

decision making process;

Information on Who and What they do

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• Budget with plans, programs, disbursements and proposed expenditures;

• Details of beneficiaries and recipients of subsidies, concessions, permits or authorizations granted by it;

• The manner of execution of programs;

Information on Activity

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• Rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records

• Particulars of ways for consultation or representation by the public for the formulation or implementation of policy

Information on engagement and relevance

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (c)

• All relevant facts relating to proposed policies or decisions;

Information on actions

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (d)

• Reasons for its administrative or quasi-judicial decisions;

Information on compliance to purpose

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Status of Section 4 compliance of the SIC, Goa

• http://egov.goa.nic.in/rtipublic/rtidisclosures.pdf• http://goasic.gov.in/rtidisclosures.pdf

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Which is the official one?

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Identifying the official site

• url: https://sic.goa.gov.in : site with certificate• PDF digitally signed• Date of updating information on footer of pdf• Signature of person certifying the information• Access to previous versions/records

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Status on Action mandated under 4

• 4(1)(a) No computerized access across networks or catalog or index of documents

• 4(2) No suo motu declarations beyond standard format: Need to use RTI Act to obtain information on case status, orders; http://egov.goa.nic.in/rtipublic/sicOrders.aspx and http://egov.goa.nic.in/rtipublic/sicDeci.aspx not updated

• 4(3) Disseminate widely - ?• 4(4) Information not easily accessible

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Status of records under 4(1)(a)

Not computerized or not accessible on network:• Inward-Outward registers• Revenue and expenditure records• Orders, circulars and notifications• Advertisements, tenders and notices• Hearings, minutes of meetings, schedules• Staff and their availability• Reports and other publications• Petitions and court orders

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Status of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• List of Information, available to or held by it: Incomplete

• Facilities for obtaining information, including the hours of a library or reading room: None

• Names, designations and particulars of the Public Information Officers: Provided

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Status of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• Directory of officers and employees: Incomplete• Remuneration to officers and employees:

Incomplete• System of compensation as provided in its

regulations: Not provided; should be 16 (5)• Particulars, powers and duties of its officers and

employees: Not provided; should be Chapter V• Accountability, procedure and norms of the decision

making process: Incomplete; should be 25(1), Rules framed under 27

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• Budget with plans, programs, disbursements and proposed expenditures: Incomplete no plans, programs, disbursements or expenditures

• Details of beneficiaries and recipients of subsidies, concessions, permits or authorizations granted by it: Not provided; should have list of applicants given information, orders on complaints and appeals

• The manner of execution of programs: Not provided; should have manner of providing or denying information

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (b)

• Rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records: Not provided; should publish the document, not its name

• Particulars of ways for consultation or representation by the public for the formulation or implementation of policy: Vague response; should list scope of policy and ways of consulting

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (c)

• All relevant facts relating to proposed policies or decisions: Not provided; should have all orders on appeals and complaints, particularly under 19 (8)

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Checklist of declaration under 4 (1) (d)

• Reasons for its administrative or quasi-judicial decisions: Not provided; should have orders passed on appeals or complaints with reasons as well as a list of cases disposed without hearing, if any, with reasons

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Making Section 4 work

• Information Seekers insistence on Section 4 crucial– Use the checklist to seek and ask for information– Work with PIOs to ensure the information will be

widely available without needing to resort to RTI

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Making Section 4 work

• NGOs role is vital for rapid change– Support and train PIO’s to bring about Section 4

compliance– Use the checklist to audit and report Section 4

compliance – Work with Information Commission to seek and

follow-through orders that would make Section 4 effective

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Making Section 4 work

• PIOs role in updating most important– Use the checklist to audit and update information

once every quarter and when there is a change– Work with information seekers to present

information in the most useful way

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Making Section 4 work

• Appellate Authorities supervision and support necessary– Use the checklist to audit at least once every

quarter and ensure information is current and archives are accessible

– Work with PIO’s to ensure appeals are not needed– Work with information seekers to present

information in the most useful way

Making Section 4 work

• State Information Commissioner’s role very important– Set an example of compliance– Inquire into compliance to Section 4,– Cause the creation of easy access to information, – Cause for discovery and inspection of documents, – Cause the publishing of certain information or categories of

information, – Cause to make necessary changes to its practices in relation to

the maintenance, management and destruction of records, – Enhance training on the RTI, – Take suo-motu cognizance of information requests/denial

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