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New Indian Express
41 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Karnataka High Court raps Nirmiti Kendra, says RTI Act applicable
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court ruled that the Right to Information (RTI) Act is applicable to Nirmiti Kendra. 'Nirmiti Kendra would be a public authority in terms of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act,' the court said, imposing a cost of Rs 50,000 on it for suppressing information sought by the applicant. Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order while dismissing the petition filed by the Public Information Officer (PIO) and project director of Nirmiti Kendra in Chitradurga district. The petition was filed against the order dated August 29, 2017, passed by the Karnataka Information Commission, which directed the petitioner to furnish information sought by applicants, while also imposing a cost of Rs 25,000 on it. It was contended in the petition that Nirmiti Kendra is a private society, and not financed or aided by the state or central government. The court said the direction issued by the Karnataka Information Commission to furnish the document sought by the applicant cannot be faulted. It is not expected of a government authority and officers of Nirmiti Kendra, who are government officers, to have taken such a stand that Nirmiti Kendra would not come within the purview of the RTI Act. 'All government officers and departments are subject to the RTI Act and required to make available the information sought. The attempt made by officers of Nirmiti Kendra to suppress such transparency leaves much to be desired, and does not inspire confidence. The petitioner has successfully avoided disclosure of information and details. In view of this, cost of Rs 50,000 is imposed,' the court said.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
4,000 institutions under One Nation One Subscription scheme haven't received benefits: Par panel
Around 4,000 out of 7,008 eligible institutions under the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme of the Ministry of Education have not received its benefits, a parliamentary panel has flagged. The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, directed the furnishing of updated information on the current status of the ONOS' reach. 'The Committee notes that the ONOS scheme has been approved and implemented. The Committee's recommendation had called for the accelerated implementation of the ONOS scheme. However, as the Committee noted in its 364th Report on Demand for Grants of the Higher Education Department (FY 24-25), about 4,000 of the 7,008 eligible institutions had still not received the benefits of the ONOS. 'The Committee would direct the Department to provide updated information on the current status of the ONOS's reach, and provide an update on the steps taken to accelerate the scheme's implementation,' the panel said in its report. The Committee also noted that the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Act, 2023 was brought out in letter and spirit but it has not been able to spend any of its budgeted funds for the previous financial year. 'As per the provisions, an Executive Council was constituted wherein high-level strategic directions were given, performance monitored and implementation of the objectives of the Foundation was envisioned. However, in its discussions on the Demands for Grants of the Department of Higher Education in FY 2024-25, the Committee was informed that the ANRF had not been able to spend any of its budgeted funds for the previous financial year. 'In this regard, the Committee needs to be apprised of the current status of the ANRF's functioning and further initiatives undertaken, if any,' the report added.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Govt open to reviewing RTI rules amid misuse concerns
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that it was open to reviewing rules under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, after MLAs across party lines voiced concerns that the law was being misused by activists to 'harass' and 'blackmail' officials. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil made the statement while replying to a question by Bailhongal Congress MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi, on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during the Question Hour. 'RTI is a revolutionary legislation by the central government to bring transparency in administration. But, the state government can frame rules under the act. If we come to know about the misuse, we can take action,' he said. 'By reviewing the rules, if harassment can be prevented and it will benefit the RTI activists (who are genuine), we can discuss in this regard with the Chief Minister and we can do it... We will think about steps to limit the misuse of RTI.' Raising the issue, Koujalagi said the RTI Act was enacted with good intentions, but was also being misused, and also suggested that the government consider increasing the RTI application fees. 'We see RTI applications being filed through proxies. Repeated applications are filed by some people just to harass officials. The cost per page is fixed at Rs 2, this is causing the problem. For BPL applicants, there is no fee for up to 100 pages. This is leading to a lot of misuse,' he added. In some cases, information spanning 20 years is being sought under the RTI Act, forcing assignment of an official solely to provide details, he said and urged the government to address such issues. In response, Patil said the government has blacklisted 26 RTI activists and noted that State Information Commissioner Ravindra Gurunath Dhakappa was dismissed after being trapped by the Lokayukta. He, however, said no written complaints of harassment were received from officials. He also said the government would consider revising the RTI fees. Intervening, BJP MLA Sunil Kumar said RTI Act was misused by some individuals for personal gain rather than public interest. Bijapur City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal too remarked that RTI has become 'a big business' for some people. 'They blackmail officials, elected representatives and contractors,' he said, urging the government to investigate assets owned by RTI activists, and take action against them. Senior BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said, RTI applicants should have a valid reason to seek information, and this should be considered while framing rules.
