A joint survey by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Nagrik Adhikar Kendra brings to fore dismal compliance of RTI at taluka level

The implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in Gujarat has been dismal and the compliance, especially at the taluka level, is much weaker as compared to offices at the district level. These findings have emerged in a survey conducted by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and the Nagarik Adhikar Kendra, Kalol, in Panchmahals district.

The CHRI said that Panchmahals was the district of choice as it was handpicked by the state government in 2006-07 for intensive capacity building of the public authorities under a UNDP-sponsored programme. So, the survey was an exercise aimed at evaluating the performance of these public officials in terms of their duties described under the RTI Act, the CHRI added.

About 71 offices at the taluka level and 24 offices in the district administration were identified to test their compliance under the RTI. But the findings are shocking to say the least.

Consider this: nearly 75 per cent of offices at the taluka and district levels lack in availability and accessibility of designated Public Information Officers (PIOs) and Appellate Authorities (AAs). Only 40 per cent offices at the taluka level and 79 per cent at the district level confirmed the availability and accessibility of proactively disclosed information.

Even the status of training of PIOs and AAs was such that less then a third of the offices at the taluka level and about 66 per cent at the district level claimed to have been trained to implement the Act. Moving to the mandatory maintenance of the RTI register and its easy accessibility, only 60 per cent offices conformed to the clause.

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