From April onwards, you won’t have to run from pillar to post to file RTI applications or be at the mercy of government officials to part with information.
The General Administration Department and SPIPA are setting up RTI help desks at all the civic offices of the districts which will not only help applicants in filing RTIs and forward them to the departments concerned but will also feed them into an online information system which is accessible by the Chief Information Commissioner’s office.
The help desks will guide people on basic details like how to draft an RTI application and which department the RTI application should be sent to.
The Administrative Reforms and Training Division (ARTD) has already sent letters to the collectorates, municipal corporations and nagarpalikas seeking suggestions on setting up ‘Jan Sewa Kendras’. The ARTD is planning to train government officials at the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) to handle the help desks.
Anita Karwal, Secretary of NRI and ARTD, says, “Though we still have to allot someone to handle the desk, the plan will be put into action only in next financial year.”
“Officials on the desk will be trained to handle citizens wanting to file RTI applications for various purposes.
The help desks should also be able to understand what the citizen wants, which department his queries are related to, and help file the applications accordingly,’’ says Kailas Patel, Deputy Director (Planning) at SPIPA.
Karval says, “The desks will also be fully computerised thereby, providing access to a list of Public Information Officers (PIOs) of various departments. So the officials who are handling the desk can help citizens address and direct their applications to the PIOs concerned.’’
Apart from the help desks, organising the ‘Open Houses’ with the help of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), is also a part of the plan.
These Open Houses will provide a platform to citizens to voice their opinion and grievances with respect to RTI applications they have filed.
They will be conducted in one district every month and will function for two days. To begin with, the Open House sessions would be held in Panchmahal and Narmada district in partnership with the organizations like ‘Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel’ and ‘Anandi’.
Harinesh Pandya, Coordinator of the Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, says a friendly atmosphere will be created by these Open Houses.
He says, “We will be supporting GAD in planning the working of the Open Houses, while the required assistance for functioning of these houses will be provided by us.”