Kohima Law College in collaboration with Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organization (NVCO) conducted a simple culmination function of the RTI Week-long celebration with the theme – “RTI- a tool for transparency and accountable governance ” at Kohima Law College on 12th October, 2022.
As a resource person, Asst. Professor Kezhokhoto Savi (National Award recipient) who is also president of NVCO said that access to information under the Right to Information Act 2005(RTI) is one of the most powerful tools that has been provided to the citizens of the country.
Awareness is still lacking and it is more important in rural areas where more disclosure is required in various schemes/projects meant for villagers. The object of passing RTI was to secure access to information under the control of public authorities in order to promote transparency and accountability in the functioning of every public authority, curtail corruption and make our democracy work for the people in the real sense. An informed citizen will be better equipped to keep necessary vigil on the instruments of the government and make government more accountable to the governed. Transparency is a powerful and leading concept.
Mr. Savi stressed strongly on ‘transparency and accountability’ in administration which is in fact a ‘sine qua non’ of participating democracy.
“Transparency will not be accomplished unless we have accurate and verifiable information accessible,” he said.
In democracy, public governance is a complex matrix of relationship between the institutions and civil societies with regard to responsibility and accountability for the management and control of public resources and delivery of public services.
Public governance implies; i)effective management of public resources ii)high level of accountability and transparency iii)free flow of information iv)control of corruption v)significant citizen’s participation and vi) equity.
“Most of the illiterate people from remote rural areas are still unaware of this right which is equally important to them and it is the duty of the informed citizens to educate the people. Let us make the best use of this right and tool that has been provided and guaranteed by the Parliament to every citizen in the country and look forward to a future where we can achieve transparency, accountability, corruption-free and democracy to prevail in its truest sense,” he added.
Mr. Savi appreciated the Kohima Village Council for filing its complaint to Chief Minister Nagaland on implementation of MGNREGA where they alleged that the department was demanding 80% of the material component cost from the work orders issued and also alleges that there are lakhs of forged signatures by the VDBs at the directive of the department, called for Muster Roll, etc.
Mr. Savi called upon VCM or any member of Village Council to come forward and use RTI where section 3 of the Act provides – “all citizens shall have the right to information” or “Act confers the Right to Information(RTI) on all citizens”. Anyone who is a citizen of the country can file an RTI application to PIO or CPIO.
In the case of Appellant Shri. V.K. Gaur (Appeal No.139/ICPB/2006) dated 25.10.2006 the Central Information Commission has decided that even if information is sought by an office bearer of an Association/Union, the same should be treated as valid in terms of the provisions of the RTI Act.
“It is therefore very important for everyone, especially in villages to exercise their right to get information in every government establishment,” he stated.
Mr. Savi urged law students to encourage villagers or people of various constituencies to come forward without any fear or hesitation to seek information through an RTI application to obtain detail information related to various schemes/BPL/PDS/VDB/ projects/MGNREGA/LADP schemes/MLA Fund/government funding meant for villages and constituency development. No authority can stop any citizen/villager from seeking information through RTI Act.
The ignorance of RTI is being exhibited by the fact that some village councils impose fines on citizens who seek information through the RTI and there are some villages who are aware of RTI and still don’t welcome and there are cases where the official tells the RTI applicant to withdraw RTI application otherwise village fund meant for the village may not be released.
There was a unique case where the RTI applicants were being fined out of the village council resolution where no one would file any RTI application without the consultations of village authority and it has come on appeal to Nagaland Information Commission. One of the RTI applications enquired whether the huge amount of deduction on MNREGA/public funds as “VIP quota” was proper or not. Applicants were being fined by village councils.
However, the positive impact of RTI here is the fine money imposed upon the RTI applicants were recovered and even the deducted huge amount of money as VIP quota was refunded to the people in the constituency. As per the RTI Act no consultation or permission is required in using or exercising RTI which confers on all citizens.
“Just for the fact of filing an RTI application no authority can stop or block the funds/projects/schemes entitled to villages,” he stated.
Mr. Savi said that RTI is a powerful tool, which gives the citizens the chance to transform the way the government and its officials function and this powerful tool is in the hands of the citizens that one should not sit and watch but get involved and use one’s right to information.
– Media Cell, Kohima Law College