Fwd: Appeal to Information Seekers not to produce any proof of citizenship in Odisha

[Pradip Pradhan]

Appeal to Information Seekers not to produce any proof of citizenship or identity at the time of submitting RTI Application

 

Circular issued  by Sri Pradeep Jena, Secretary-cum-Commissioner, I and PR Dept., Govt. of Odisha  to all Govt. offices not to ask to Information-seekers  for proof of identity following direction of Calcutta High Court.

Dear friends

 On dated 21.1. 14, the I and PR Department, Govt. of Odisha  has issued a circular RTI-05/2014/IPR   773  under the subject head “ Protection of whistleblowers of RTI- Order dated 20.11.2013 of the Ho’ble High Court, Kolkata in writ petition No. 33290 of 2013” to all departments, State Information Commission, All Collectors, RDCs  informing about the order of the said High Court  i.e.,

 

 

It  means the RTI Applicants  are not required to give  any other personal details except contact address. So the provision of production of proof of identity of citizenship   under Odisha RTI Rules, 2005  stands null and void.

 

So I appeal all Information seekers not to produce their voter ID card or any other documents as proof of identity  at the time of  submitting RTI Applications to the offices under Govt. of Odisha. It needs  to be  mentioned that the Central RTI Rules of Govt. of India  is highly progressive  which  does not require  any proof of identity to be produced by Information-seekers.

 

Friends, we have a long way to go for  reforming  administration of Odisha  and its bureaucracy.

 

Thanking you

Yours sincerely

 

Pradip Pradhan

Date-27.1.14