Governor’s Secretariat slams its PIO for ‘ Vague ’ Order

Raj Bhavan  insists on explicit RTI Reply

Jammu, 20/June/2013: Slamming its own PIO, Public Information   Officer, the Jammu and Kashmir Raj Bhavan (Governor's Secretariat) has set aside the order of the PIO dated 12/March/2013 where the PIO has denied  information to the applicant, RTI activist Raman Sharma citing 'privilege'.

Navin K Chouhan,  Principal Secretary to Governor who is also  first appellate authority under  RTI Act has  not only set aside the order of the PIO/Deputy Secretary but has also termed the order as 'Vague'. Principal Secretary in his order no. 01/2013 dated 13/o6/2013 has stated 'As the PIO's order suffer from the defect of vagueness, his order dated march/12/2013 is set aside. The appeal order also states that the PIO's order should specific clause (s) of sub section 1 of section 8 of the RTI Act under which the appellant has been denied information and also explain how the information sought by the appellant falls within the  four corners of that specific provision(s).  The PIO's order should also specifically consider whether all the information sought by the appellant is exempted or only a part thereof is exempted from disclosure. If the information or a part thereof is not available or for any other reason cannot be provided the same should be explicitly spelt out in the reply to the appellant.  In the same order it has also been directed to the PIO to consider the appellant's request for information afresh in the light of the issues raised in the appeal order strictly as per the provisions of the RTI act and rules and make available revised consideration within a period of two weeks.

Giving brief about his appeal and RTI Plea Raman Sharma informed that he filed RTI application on 06/Feb/2013 to the PIO of the Raj Bhavan, seeking information about the total number of Individual/delegations who visited and met Honourable Governor during the period 01/Jan/2010 to Feb/2013 in  Jammu/Srinagar along with total number of memorandum/representations received by Rajbhavn or Honourable Governor in person during   the   same period.  His plea also wanted to know the procedure to seek appointment of meeting with Honourable Governor and procedure adopted to allow appointments. While expressing his gratitude to the First Appellate Authority of the Governor's Secretariat, the applicant has said transparency ensures bonhomie between the public institutions and citizens which is an essential ingredient   of democracy. 

http://m.risingkashmir.in/news/governor%E2%80%99s-secretariat-slams-its-pio-for-%E2%80%98vague%E2%80%99-order-49609.aspx 

Published in Rising Kashmir, Journey Line, JK Newspoint, JK Monitor and others.

32,000 passouts of JU waiting for Degrees

Jammu: In a reply to Right to Information Query the authorities of Jammu university have admitted that over 32,000 passouts including graduate and post-graduate candidate are waiting to get their degree  from Jammu University which includes students from 2006 to 2011 batch. The varsity has not issued  graduate and post-graduate Degrees to a total of 32,120 passout students from different streams the list includes 26,564 graduates and 5,556 post-graduate students who have not received their degrees since  2006-07 (Undergraduate courses) and 2010-11(PG Courses).

The information has been provided by the Public Information Officer of the Jammu University vide his office letter no. PIO/JU/13/7169 dated 29/May/2013 in response to application of RTI Activists Raman Sharma. While appreciating the Public Information Officer of the university for providing all the information, Raman said the reply is quite shocking. It is very unfortunate that the university which owns ISO status can be so careless and tardy in its action that it has not issued degrees to 33,000 successful candidates for  last 5 to 6 years. Today the institutions are awarding online degrees to the students but here in our state the people at the helm of affairs still lagging behind. As per the reply total number of successful candidates who have not been issued their graduation degrees from session 2006-07 onwards are 26,564 and  the total strength of post-graduate candidates waiting  for degrees from session 2009 onwards are 2,256 of session 2010 and 3,300 of session 2011, the RTI reply states. The reply also states that over 1100 students only from Women College Parade, Jammu have not been issued their Degrees who passed out in the year 2009. There are many other students who have not been issued their degrees by the JU.  

When the matter of pending degrees was brought to the notice of the Vice Chancellor’s Secretariat, the senior officers there immediately issued orders to the concerned department to clear the backlog without any further delay. In the meanwhile , the  RTI applicant has said he has also apprised the governor about the issues and has sought a direction in this regard . ‘A similar RTI application  was also filed with the Kashmir University on 04/April/2013 through Jammu and Kashmir State Information Commission but till no intimation in this regard has been received from there, Raman informed.  

(( Published in JK Newspoint, Journey Line, Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Rising Kashmir, Times of India, The Tribune, Daily Udaan and many others.))
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130612/jmtrib.htm#1

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-11/news/39897886_1_jammu-university-degree-certificate-graduate

Rising Kashmir

The Tribune

Amar Ujala

Jk Newspoint

Direct Government to Accept RTI Fees by Electronic Mode: Activists to J & K CIC

J & K RTI activists have asked the Jammu and Kashmir State Chief Information Commission to direct the government and Public Authorities to accept RTI fees in electronic mode like E.IPO, Debt/Credit Card and other means of internet to pay the fees. In this regard the activists submitted a written submission to the J & K CIC on 10/May/2013 with their list of demands.

Jammu Kashmir Activists File RTI Pleas with State Political Parties

Jammu : Taking a stance of the recent order passed by the Central Information Commission to include National political parties under the ambit of RTI Act, the activists of Sangarsh RTI Movement Sd. Balvinder Singh (Convener) and Deepak Sharma today filed RTI application to three main State regional political parties of the state to make them also accountable under state RTI Act. While hailing the decision of the Central Information Commission to bring National political parties under the RTI Act 2005, the activists Sd. Balvinder Singh and Deepak Sharma shared that since the J&K State has its own RTI Aact and Information Commission , so the same order of Central Information Commission is not applicable for regional political parties of the state and the State Information Commission has no powers to act suo motto to declare these regional political parties as public authorities under State RTI Act unless any resident of the state approaches the commission in this regard .

The activists shared that  they have filed RTI application to three main political parties of the state namely National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and J&K National Panthers Party and sought details which includes details of the donators who have given donation to these political parties during last 5 years , details of all the expenses incurred by these political parties for the last 5 years and details of  benefits enjoyed by these regional political parties in terms of office accommodations and income tax exemption .

The activists urged that all the regional political parties to which the RTI applications has been filed, should divulge the asked information under the provisions of the State RTI Act as it will give a clear message to other National political parties that J&K State regional political parties stands together for the promotion of accountability and transparency and shows no compromise in this regard. While appreciating the role of all these regional political parties for their contribution in the promotion of transparency in the state , especially to young and dynamic Chief Minister of the State Sh. Omar Abdullah , who is pioneer in bringing the State RTI Act in to a reality , the activists has hoped that without any prejudice all the regional political parties will welcome this move to bring them under the RTI Act ,as all these regional political parties have always remained in the forefront for the cause of RTI in the state. The activists also urged the regional political parties to suo motto disclose as much as information so that there is minimal resort to filing RTI. 

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Plea filed for bringing J&K parties under ambit of RTI Act 

Jammu: Amid a debate on CIC order bringing major political parties under RTI, activists here have filed a plea before the J&K Information Commission seeking that regional political parties of the state be brought under the ambit of the transparency law. "We hail the decision of the Central Information Commission (CIC) to bring national political parties under the RTI Act 2005," activists 

Balvinder Singh and Deepak Sharma of Sangarsh RTI Movement said today.  The activists said that they have filed a petition for bringing three main political parties of the state National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and J&K National Panthers Party (JKNPP) under the ambit of state RTI Act. They said the order of the CIC is not applicable to regional political parties and the State Information Commission has no powers to suo motu declare these parties as public authorities under State RTI Act unless any resident of the state approaches the state Commission in this regard. 

Left to Right: Ms Mehbooba Mufti(PDP), Bhim Singh(Panthers Party), Omar Abdullah, (NC)

 "We have also sought details from parties which include their donors during the last five years, expenses incurred by these political parties for the period and benefits enjoyed by these regional political parties in terms of office accommodations and income tax exemption," the activists said and expressed the hope that the parties will support efforts to bring transparency in the system. 

http://zeenews.india.com/news/jammu-and-kashmir/plea-filed-for-bringing-jandk-parties-under-ambit-of-rti-act_853812.html

 http://www.jknewspoint.com/newsdet.aspx?q=15425

JK Activists Hail CIC’s Judgment

Political Parties under RTI: JK Activists Hail CIC’s Judgment

June 8, 2013

Srinagar:  The activists in Jammu and Kashmir state working for the promotion of Right to Information Act have hailed the recent judgment of the Central Information Commission where it had been ordered that the Political parties like BJP, Congress, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPI-M fall under the ambit of the act and where the heads of these political parties have been asked to designate public information officers and the appellate authorities as per the provisions of the Right to information Act2005.

In a statement issued to press, the activists have also congratulated the members of the  Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) an NGO who took the issue of bringing political parties under RTI act to the Central Information Commission.    Demanding similar order from the J & K State Information Commission , the  activists have urged the  State Commission to direct all the political parties to designate PIO’s and follow all the provisions of the J & K RTI law. They have also asked the  Jammu and Kashmir government to reinstate Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Rules 2010 which were unfortunately repealed vide SRO no 279 issued by the GAD on 30th Aug/2012. The joint statement has been endorsed by activist Balvinder Singh, Convener, Sangarsh RTI Movement, Dr. Shiekh Ghulam  Rasool, Chairman, JK RTI Movement, RTI Activist Raman Sharma, Deepak Sharma, Advocate Dewaker Sharma, Dr. Shiekh Ghulam  Rasool, Convener JK RTI Movement, Advocate Ashraf Wani Farooq Kuthu, Bilal Bhat, Tanvir Hussain Khan,  Rahil, Munish Sharma and others. 

http://www.globalkashmir.net/political-parties-under-rti-jk-activists-hail-cics-judgment/

Two Days State Level RTI Workshop Held in Jammu and Kashmir

Sangarsh-CHRI Conducted State Level RTI Workshop at Jammu

Jammu, 30/May/2013: Two days state level RTI training for trainers workshop concluded here, the program was organized by Sangarsh RTI Movement in collaboration with CHRI, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi. In two days program the participants from different districts of the state including college professors, senior citizens, activists, ex-army officers, legal experts’ and students were provided section wise and rule wise information about all the aspects of the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act 2009. As per organizers, the objective of conducting this workshop is to prepare more trainer and experts on the subject RTI so that they can further become ambassador of this transparency law and educate others about the same.

Wajahat Unveils RTI User Guide

After the RTI Workshop,  Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman of the National Minority Commission unveiled a book titled ‘Your Guide to Using the J K RTI Act ‘ authored by Venkatesh Nayak and Nandita Sinha from CHRI. On this occasion  Rehana Batool, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Nandita Sinha, Amikar Parwar of CHRI, Feroz Ahmad, retired IAS officer, Balvinder Singh, Convener Sangarsh RTI Movement, RTI Activist Raman Sharma, Darvinder Singh, Deepak Sharma, Rahil Gupta and Dr. Shiekh Ghulam Rasool, Convener JK RTI Movement from Kashmir were also present. Wajahat Habibullah while appreciating the Sanagarsh RTI Movement and CHRI for their effort of taking RTI to the people  and for launching the user guide also urged the participants to use the act for the public interest. On this occasion special guest, Rehana Batool, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jammu also assured the organizers to give  fullest support in their movement towards transparency. The members of the host organization, Sangarsh RTI Movement presented vote of thanks to the Chief Guest, Special Guest, Participants and other dignitaries present on the book release program.