Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 19: The Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement (RTIM) has accused the Government of violating the provisions of Right to Information Act (J&K RTI Act 2009) by not creating massive awareness and not making the voluntary disclosure of the information on official Government websites.
In a statement, the Chairman of RTI Movement, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that Government is under legal obligation to undertake awareness about RTI Act in nook and corner of State, but during last 10 years, not even 10 RTI awareness workshops have been held by the authorities for general public in far flung areas of State with the result very less number of people are using this law in State.
“Section 23 of J&K RTI Act 2009 directs the Government to conduct awareness camps, workshops and seminars for citizens towards understanding of this law. Special emphasis is given towards awareness of people from disadvantaged communities. In addition to it Government has to train its officials especially the Public Information Officers (PIOs) and sensitize them about the provisions of the law,” he said and added that even after the J&K High Court’s direction, while disposing of a PIL by JK RTI Movement, to create awareness and to make voluntary disclosure of information under section 4 and 23 of JK RTI Act 2009, the Government continued to violate the law and the High Court orders were not respected.
As per the reply submitted by the State Government in the court, mere two RTI workshops had been conducted in 3 years (until Oct 2018) by the Government through Institute of Management Public Administration & Rural Development (IMPARD). During these two workshops mere 42 officers had been trained.
“Even after 10 years of RTI regime in J&K, if the institution of RTI has not flourished, it indicates something is wrong somewhere,” said Dr Mushtaq Khan, general secretary of the RTIM.
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