Govt. wants to Strangle RTI now !!
Alok Kumar
Link: http://news.in.msn.com/exclusives/it/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5488133
2G note fallout: Govt departments told to go slow on RTI applications
The 2G note from finance ministry caused much trouble for the
government. Result: departments have now been told to slow down on
processing RTI applications.
New Delhi: Following the huge embarrassment in the form of the 2G note
via Right to Information (RTI) Act, the government has cracked the
whip on releasing information through this route.
Headlines Today has accessed a note from the department of personnel
and training (DoPT), asking all states, ministries and departments to
go slow on RTI applications.
The DoPT action is seen as the fallout of the 2G note embarrassment
caused to the government recently when the alleged differences between
two of its most senior ministers -- Pranab Mukherjee and P.
Chidambaram -- came to the fore. The ministers later made joint
statement stating there was no difference between them over the 2G
note.
The DoPT note, issued on September 16, asks government departments not
to draw "inferences" or make "assumptions" or provide "opinion" or
"advice" in their RTI replies. The note was issued when the 2G note
controversy was at its peak.
It refers to a Supreme Court ruling that the public authority need not
be generous in its interpretation of the law. The note clearly says
that where information is not sought, the government is not required
to collate such information and then furnish it to the applicant.