Unless proactive disclosure norms by all concerned offices in Jammu and Kashmir were adhered to in letter and spirit in respect of the Right to Information Act , the purpose of a performing and an open government will not percolate to the ground and seen having been accomplished. The principle of hiding none of the information unless proscribed by law while sharing information sought, would vastly achieve the desired objectives behind Right to Information. Right from how to receive applications to the stage of disposals in a transparent way would minimise the number of complaints filed by the one who wants a particular information to be received. Therefore, it is to be seen , for example, how a foolproof mechanism was evolved even during the period of Darbar move from Jammu to Srinagar which , however, has been slightly postponed. The fresh guidelines having been issued by the Chief Information Commissioner to the public Authorities of the UT government of Jammu and Kashmir need to be complied with . The time factor in passing on the desired information was critical and bound to minimise the chances of filing appeals by the appellants as provided for under Section 4(1)(b). The Chief Information Commissioner has also desired that a robust mechanism to be created was the need of the hour for disclosing information at the SDM level through internet or through websites even creating of separate websites for each sub-division . This all needs to be done in the larger public interest.
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