Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement has demanded implementation of J&K High Court order directing Government to implement section 4 and 23 of J&K RTI Act 2009.
Pertinently under section 4 and 23 of J&K RTI Act 2009Government departments have to make voluntary disclosure of information on theofficial websites and awareness on RTI has to be created in nook and corner ofthe state. The decision was announced by J&K High Court Division Benchearly this year while disposing of a PIL titled Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat V/S Stateof J&K.
Chairman of RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that inspite of more than 3 months since High Court issued the orders, Government hasfailed to adhere to it.
“Even the official websites of most of the Governmentdepartments portray all the obsolete and misleading information. The details ofbeneficiaries of various central Government schemes like rural housing, old agepension , DPRs of PWD , PMGSY , PHE and other departments is not available onthe websites. In addition to it Government has miserably failed to createawareness on RTI for general masses and its own officials,” Dr Muzaffar said.
“Between 2011-2014 more than 2500 Government officials weretrained o RTI Act in J&K and this decreased drastically not even 100officials have been trained between 2015 to 2018. This was revealed byGovernment before the High Court last year”.
RTI Movement has alleged that PIOs who were trained morethan four years ago on RTI have either retired or have been promoted with theresult majority of the designated PIOs and even First Appellate Authorities(FAAs) under RTI ACT are not able to do justice with their job.