No Proposal from J & K Pending for Including any Community in ST Status: MoTA in RTI Reply

 

No Draft from J & K Pending for Including any Community in ST Status:  MoTA in RTI Reply 

Jammu, 31/Dec/2021: The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has stated that as on date no proposal is pending in the Ministry from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for including any Community in Schedule Tribe Status.

The written  information from the ministry has come in response to an RTI Application filed by a Jammu based RTI activist.

Earlier an application under Right to Information Act was submitted by RTI activist Raman Sharma with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, government of India through online application dated 25^th Dec 2021 seeking information regarding total number of applications of different communities belonging to Jammu and Kashmir pending with government  of India for their inclusion in Schedule Tribe Status.

The ministry of Tribal Affairs vide online RTI registration no MOTLA/R/E/21/00671 dated 28/12/2021 provided the information to the information seeker Sharma and stated that  “As on date  No proposal is pending in the Ministry from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir ”

JKIMPA Organizes RTI Training Session

 

Jammu, 15/July/2021: Jammu and Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural development(JKIMPA & RD)  campus in Jammu today organized an interactive session on Right to Information Act for Senior Assistants . Over eighty officials of the J & K  UT government from different departments belonging to Jammu division attended the program.

The RTI training program is one of the various initiatives taken up by the IMPA as per the instructions of Saurabh Bhagat, Director General, JKIMPA to provide training to the officers & officials of the J & K   government for their overall  capacity building and to familiarize them with different laws to bring more synergy and professionalism in the governance system.

The training session on RTI Act is held under the supervision and guidance  of Prof. Reva Sharma, Director Training(Jammu). During the event, Manju Kapoor, Course Coordinator welcomed the participants and also threw light on preamble and  basic principle of the Right to Information Act that is to bring transparency and accountability in the governance system, she also asked the participating officials to utilize the expertise of the visiting faculty and go through the course material provided to them which is again prepared by the subject experts. Raman Shama, RTI Practitioner also held interactive session with the trainee officials  and explained different sections and provisions of the Transparency law. During the session, Course Coordinator and guest faulty also replied various queries of the trainees related to the RTI Law.

J & K Bank Rejects RTI Plea

 

J & K Bank Refuses To Share Information about total Employees Appointed during Last 5 years

 

Jammu, 13/July/2021: Jammu and Kashmir Bank in response to an RTI application has refused to share information regarding  total strength of its employees as on date, the bank has also  denied information about the total number of employees appointed by it  bank during the last 5 years.  

 

Citing exemption under Right to Information Act, The Public Information office of the J & K Bank rejected the RTI pleas vide letter no. 1097 dated 06/July/2021 and  stated “desired information cannot be provided as the same is exempted under section 8(1) (J) of the RTI Act 2005 ”  .

 

The rejection order of the bank has come after one page RTI application by RTI activist Raman Sharma dated 19/June/2021, wherein the applicant had sought  8 points information including total number of permanent and contractual employees working in  the bank as on date, total number of appointments both permanent and on contractual basis made by the bank  during the last 5 years i.e. from 01/Jan/2016 to till date.

The other query of applicant Raman was about total number of permanent and contractual appointments of employees made by the bank with and without issuing advertisements and public notices.

Expressing displeasure over rejection of his RTI application, the applicant informed that he would adopt due legal procedure of appeal  as available under RTI Act 2005 against the rejection order of the Public Information officer of the J & K Bank Limited. He also said all the sought information was quite genuine and in larger public interest and added that instead of rejecting this kind of information the bank was under obligation to proactively disclose maximum  part of this information under section 4 of the RTI Act.

COPY OF RTICOPY OF RTI  REJECTION LETTER  BY JK BANK

 

Contemptuous Approach of DC Office Jammu towards Transparency

 

PIO not only Violates RTI Act, but also Ignores  Order of his Senior

Jammu, 13/Jan/2021: Showing utter disregard for the transparency,  the Right to Information Act, the Public Information Officer there in the office of Deputy Commissioner not only violated the provisions of the Right to Information Act 2005 but he also defied the order issued by his own senior.

Contrary to the tall claims of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory government about good governance & ensuing transparency in the public administration, the bureaucracy here is hell bent to strangulate the rights of the citizens & defy the law with impunity. 

Sharing the details about his case, RTI Activist Raman Sharma has informed  that the Public Information Officer there in the   office of Deputy Commissioner not only rejected his Right to Information Application dated 27/Aug/2020  that reached the his office on 09/September/2020 but also later refused to even honour the directions issued by his senior officer, the 1^st Appellate Authority of the DC Office Jammu.

Sharma informed that after having failed to receive information on his RTI Application within stipulated period of time i.e.  30 days from the said Public Information Officer there in the office of DC Jammu, he had filed a first appeal under section 19 of the RTI Act before the Additional District Development Commissioner on 30^th  October of 2020 that reached there before the 1^st Appellate Authority on  04/Nov/2020 who issued different notices of appearances  to the Public Information Officer but none was responded. Finally on 14/Dec/2020 Ramesh Chander , KAS (ADDC)  passed a final order & directed the Public Information Officer, Additional Deputy Commissioner(LO) to provide information to the appellant Raman Sharma within 15 Days but shockingly even this order of the Appellate Authority failed to make the reluctant PIO to respond to the RTI application of the information seeker & even as on date the RTI application remain unattended & no information is provided.  

The activist is now contemplating to file 2^nd appeal before the Central Information Commission against the erring PIO.

APPEAL BELOW 

ORDER OF 1ST APPELLATE AUTHORITY