news details |
|
|
| Towards transparency: 27 departments get PIOs | | | SANT KUMAR SHARMA
Srinagar, Sept 17: The government has been making slow but steady progress on the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. In this connection, the processes are getting more streamlined and departments have started appointing Public Information Officers (PIOs). So far, of a total of 34 departments, no less than 27 have appointed their PIOs and only seven have failed to do the needful till date. On the other hand, seven public authorities, comprising autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, have also appointed their PIOs but 15 have not.
Incidentally, none of the departments have appointed Assistant Public Information Officers (APIOs) as mandated. The APIOs are meant to decentralize information gathering as they can collect the applications, particularly from the rural areas. In turn, these applications can then be forwarded to the PIOs for necessary action.
The departments which have not appointed PIOs so far include the Agriculture Production Department, Election Department, Estates Department, Higher Education Department/Technical Education Department, Hospitality & Protocol Department, Ladakh Affairs Department and the Public Works Department.
The public authorities which have not appointed PIOs include the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), Jammu & Kashmir Bank, State Vigilance Organisation (SVO), State Forest Corporation (SFC), State Services Selection Board (SSRB) etc. The SSRB has, however, appointed an APIO.
The APIOs were to be appointed within 100 days of the commencement of the RTI Act. These officials were to be appointed at the sub-divisional level or other sub-district level.
In percentage terms, the compliance at the level of appointment of PIOs can be termed as 80 per cent (27 out of 34). However, at the APIO level, the compliance is negligible and can easily be termed as zero per cent.
In the Information Department, which handles the dissemination of information on behalf of the government, a PIO has been appointed but APIOs have not been appointed so far. The PIO for the department is Mr Zafar Ahmed Bhat, KAS, Special Secretary to Government.
Mr Mohammed Shahid Saleem, Deputy Secretary to the Government for the General Administration Department, issued the order for appointment of 18 PIOs wide order no 1291 GAD of 2009 dated 14-09-2009.
An IAS officer, Mr Gazanfar Hussain, Special Secretary to the Government, is the PIO for the Home Department which is directly under the Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdullah. The other 17 PIOs appointed in the other departments are all KAS officers, of the rank of Special Secretary, Additional Secretary or Deputy Secretary.
The names of the PIOs have been given for updation of the GAD website. However, no phone numbers, mobile numbers or emails of the PIOs have been given in the appointment order.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
