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What people say about us!
You have truly revolutionized the art of informative journalism.
Former CMD Air India
POLITICS
When nothing else inspires, History does!
(119)
We can not always
build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.
After Gandhi, Modi is only Communicator!
It is said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only communicator
with the masses of the country after Mahatma Gandhi.
BUREAUCRACY
IAS officer seeks voluntary retirement
R K Verma has sought voluntary retirement from November 1.He is 1984
batch IAS officer of UT cadre.
Vijay Dev to move to Chandigarh ?
Vijay Dev is likely to succeed K K Sharma in Chandigarh as Administrator.He
is 1987 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.
Sahni to be Director (Finance) BHEL
S K Sahni, GM, BHEL, has been selected as Director (Finance), Bharat
Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board
(PESB) meeting held on October 21, 2014. As many as 13 persons were
selected for the same.
Venkateswar joins as CMD, PDIL
S Venkateswar, Director (Fin), PDIL, has recently joined as Chairman
and Managing Director, Projects & Development India Limited (PDIL).
(We said this on June 30)
S B Bhadrannavar joins as MD, RDPL
S B Bhadrannavar, DGM, KAPL, has taken over the charge as Managing Director,
Rajasthan Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Limited (RDPL).
(We said this on July 16, 2014)
Verma is now Justice of Allahabad HC
Yashwant Verma is now 85th Justice of Allahabad High Court. Previously
he served Allahabad High Court as Standing Counsel.
Major overhauling in Haryana bureaucracy
A major overhauling is going to take place in Haryana bureaucracy in
a couple of weeks.
Sanjay Chaudhary promoted as DG, Prosecution in MP
Sanjay Chaudhary has been appointed as Director General of Police, Prosecution,
PHQ, Bhopal, after he was promoted to DG rank in Madhya Pradesh. He
is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre.
PESB invites applications for CMD, HPCL
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has invited applications
for the post of Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Paper Corporation
Limited (HPCL) falling vacant on August 1, 2015. Those willing to apply
can send their applications to the PESB before December 23, 2014.
RBI man joins Odisha Government
Senior official in the RBI Tapan Kumar Pradhan has joined the Odisha
Government as Director Institutional Finances.
Post of Addl Secretary in UPSC falling vacant in Oct
The post of Additional Secretary at Joint Secretary level is falling
vacant in UPSC in October, 2014.
N Gopalaswami appointed Chairman of Kalakshetra Foundation
N Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, has been
appointed as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Kalakshetra Foundation
in Chennai for a term of five years.
Iyer takes command of NCC in Nagpur
Wing Commander Priyadarshan A Iyer has taken over the command of No
2 (Mah) Air Sqn NCC from Wg Cdr MS Choudhary. Iyer was commissioned
in the flying branch of IAF on December 16, 1995.
Rahul Himalian posted to Western Railways
After return from deputation to IRCTC, Rahul Himalian has been posted
to Western Railways in the cadre. He is an IRTS officer.
Rahul Himalian posted to Western Railways
After return from deputation to IRCTC, Rahul Himalian has been posted
to Western Railways in the cadre. He is an IRTS officer.
CORPORATE
Sidhu is Chairman of Punjab Milkfed
Former IAS officer Amarjit Singh Sidhu has been appointed as chairman
of the Punjab Milk Cooperative, Milkfed.
FORUM
(The views expressed in this column are of
the contributors. We do not owe any responsibility, whatsoever, of the
views of our surfers as they are their personal opinion. However, we
would also request our contributors not to be personal, directly or
indirectly, in presenting their views. Instead of countering the views
which ‘X’ has already expressed, our contributors are advised
to present their own views. Also be brief, say about 200 words at the
most since any views longer than that if eliminated at our end would
carry the risk of the contrbutor’s item losing its original essence)
India needs right persons at right places
This debate as to which service is superior or which is inferior
is futile. What India really needs is right persons at right places.
The lateral entry in to administrative posts above the rank of joint
secretary should be started to attract the best talent available in
the country in administrative service also. After all, how long a person
can be allowed to reap the fruits of clearing one examination?
Rajiv Singh
Penalise erring officers for adopting delaying tactics
Personnel and Training towards the information being sought by DP&T
and the information from the Ministries/Departments are still awaited
despite repeated reminders from the Under Secretary concerned. DP&T
may kindly take up the matter with the higher authorities in Ministries/
Departments from where the information is still awaited. DP&T should
not end up the matter by sending another reminder. If the information
are not received despite the repeated requests and without any valid
reasons, the erring officers in the different Ministries/Departments
may be held responsible for adopting delaying tactics and penalise accordingly.
V P Sharma
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DATE WITH RTI
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First Appellate Authority should give a hearing to the appellant
if asked
The Appellant had filed two separate RTI applications. In one
of these applications, he had wanted the details of all the files
in the possession of the Department on the subject of RTI, appointment
of the CIC and Information Commissioners, sanction of staff for
the CIC including an independent Pay and Accounts Officer, the
amount of money collected in all these years by way of RTI fees
and penalty imposed and recovered. In the other application, he
requested for the copy of the order/notification by which the
Search Committee was constituted for shortlisting candidates for
appointment as Information Commissioners in the CIC, the next
date of the meeting of the Search Committee etc.. In both these
applications, he had requested for permission to inspect all the
relevant files. In respect of his first application, the PIO offered
the copies of the correspondence part of two of the relevant files
on payment of photocopying charges. However, in respect of the
remaining information, he had not provided any information on
the ground that the collection of the information would disproportionately
divert their resources. In regard to second application, the PIO
observed that since the Search Committee had been constituted
by the Cabinet Secretariat, his RTI application was being transferred
u/s 6(3) of the RTI Act. The First Appellate Authority endorsed
the response of the PIO in both the cases. The Appellant argued
before the CIC that the information regarding the constitution
of the Search Committee for shortlisting of candidates for the
post of Information Commissioners in the CIC was available in
the DoPT at the time of his RTI application but, even then, the
PIO had chosen to transfer the RTI application to the Cabinet
Secretariat for the latter only to send it back. He also complained
the PIO did not produce all the relevant files before him for
his inspection and did not even facilitate the inspection of whatever
files he had himself placed before him. He also alleged that the
First Appellate Authority had disposed of the appeals without
much application of mind and by merely endorsing the response
of the PIO. The PIO and the First Appellate Authority disagreed
with the appellant's version and said that the sheer number of
RTI applications and appeals handled in their division was so
voluminous and huge that it was almost impossible to manage it
within the time lines prescribed under the RTI Act. The CIC disapproved
the approach of the PIO and observed that the PIO could have given
a more detailed response justifying his conclusion that providing
such information would disproportionately divert the resources
of the Department by stating the exact number of files in question
and likely man-hours required to assemble them. The CIC further
held that the PIO was totally wrong in transferring the RTI application
regarding search committee to the Cabinet Secretariat as the entire
information was available in the Department itself. The First
Appellate Authority was cautioned to be more careful in future
in dealing with appeals.
Comments
It is not enough for the First Appellate Authority (FAA) to reproduce
the contents of the RTI application and the reply of the PIO.
The FAA must pass a speaking order justifying her decision in
each case. Wherever the Appellant wants personal hearing, he should
be given that opportunity.
Citation: Shri R K Jain v. PIO, Cabinet
Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhawan in File No.CIC/SM/A/2012/000784
& 786
Weekly article by Dr Anuradha Verma
(dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in), RTI Consultant to IIM, Indore.
Her other articles regarding RTI can be read at http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/
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