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 

DISTRICT HOSPITAL UDHAMPUR MEDICINES AND EQUIPMENTS IN STORES

LIST OF MEDICINES AVAILABLE IN DISTRICT HOSPITAL UDHAMPUR 

LIST OF EQUIPMENTS IN STORE OF DISTRICT HOSPITAL UDHAMPUR 

LIST OF EXPIRY MEDICINES

Every 3rd Day JKPSC is Slapped with a Court Case

 

826 Cases Pending against JKPSC in High Court

Jammu, 05/Dec/2020: In a shocking revelations it has come to fore that Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission(JKPSC) the premier recruitment body of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory that is responsible for recruitment of gazetted posts in all the departments of the U.T including that of subordinate judicial officers is facing 830 cases in Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Supreme Court of India.

The Reply provided by JKPSC vide their office letter no PSC/Lit/46/2020 dated 23/11/2020 to RTI Activists Raman Sharma in response to his RTI application  discloses that as on date there are 826 cases pending against it in Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the JKPSC is also party in another four cases before the Supreme Court of India.

The Commission has also informed in its reply that it has filed 2 cases in the Supreme Court and 8 appeals before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

With regard to Legal expenses borne by the JKPSC in defending and pursuing these cases in Supreme Court and High Court, the RTI reply states that during the Financial Year 2018-19 and 2019-20 the commission  have paid Rs 35,14367.00 ( Rupees Thirty Five  Lac, fourteen thousand, three hundred and sixty seven) as Lawyers’ fees including over Rs 22 Lac as retainership fee.

Interestingly , the amount paid by the Commission  in defending these court cases in year 2018 and 2019 exceeded its own legal budget by Rs. 5 Lac.  The RTI reply shows zero legal expenses borne by the recruitment body during the current financial year 2020-21 though Rs. 9.00 Lac has been kept as legal budget.

It is pertinent to mention here that in October 2017, the JKPSC in another RTI Reply to activist Raman Sharma had informed that there were 500 cases pending against it in the J & K High Court.

The number of cases risen from 500 to 826 in a span of three years which means that every third days a new Court case is filed by the aggrieved party against the recruitment panel

It is pertinent to mention here that after the extension  of jurisdiction of Central Administrative Tribunal(CAT) in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, most of the cases pending against the Public Service Commission before the J & K High Court are about to be transferred to the CAT soon.

The total legal expenses borne by the Commission in last 5 financial years is approximately  rupees seventy Lac.

HINDUSTAN TIMES  06/12/2020

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/826-cases-pending-against-jkpsc-in-high-court-reveals-rti/story-59rekZffLMdOfzPHzDpthL.html

AMAR UJALA 06/12/2020

https://www.amarujala.com/jammu/826-cases-in-high-court-against-jammu-and-kashmir-public-service-commission

Jammu Court directs Registration of FIR against PNB Bank Manager and others in Cyber Fraud Case

  

Jammu, 13/Nov/2020 : In a significant move to check the menace of growing online financial frauds and failure of the banks to initiate timely action, a local court here issued direction to the Police for registration of FIR against the bank Manager of Punjab National Bank and other accused persons in an online  fraud case. 

Taking action on the complaint filed by one online bank fraud victim Asha Devi a resident of Jammu, through her counsel Deepak Sharma, advocate J&K High Court, the court ordered the police to file FIR and do a thorough investigation in the case.  

The complainant had alleged that Manager of Punjab National Bank Branch Talab Tillo, Jammu and other unknown person having bank account in Kotak Mahindra Bank Branch Kingsway, Nagpur and other unknown person having bank account in ICICI Bank Branch Araria Bihar with common intentions entered into a criminal conspiracy with each other and cheated and defrauded the complainant of Rs. 95,960/- by making unauthorized transfer of the money from the bank account of the complainant maintained in Punjab National Bank Branch, Talab Tillo and the money was transferred into the bank accounts of the accused persons having bank accounts in Bihar and Nagpur.

 The victim lady further alleged that for the purpose of treatment of her minor son who is suffering a life threatening kidney disease, she had secured a fixed deposit (FD) in PNB bank which was set to be matured on 28/October/2020 .

It is further stated in the complaint that in the early morning of maturity day of her Fixed Deposit she received a SMS from the bank that the F.D amount has been credited in her account and within 5 minutes she received another message stating that an amount of 95,960 is transferred from her bank account to some other bank account.  

Giving further details, Advocate Deepak Sharma who is pursuing this case informed that her client had earlier approached the Bank Manager, PNB Bank Talab Tillo Jammu for refund of her amount and later approached Cyber Cell Police Station Gandhi Nagar Jammu and also made a complaint to SSP Crime Branch for registration of FIR in the case but she got no relief and ultimately a complaint under section 156(3) Cr.P.C was filed before the court seeking registration of FIR against the accused manager and others for committing offence under Indian Penal Code & the Information Technology (IT) Act.

While disposing of the application, Special Mobile Magistrate Jammu Passenger Tax & Shops Establishment Act issued directions to the Cyber Police Station Jammu for registration of FIR against the accused persons.

Compared to 2010, Over Fifty Times Increase in Ceasefire Violations by Pakistan this year

 In less than 3 Years, 8571 Ceasefire Violations at Border by Pakistan in J & K

Jammu, 28/Aug/2020: During the last 3 years, people living at International border and Line of Control areas of Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing on an average at least 09 Cease Fire violations by Pakistan daily causing loss of lives and property.

The information provided by Ministry of Home Affairs in  reply to a plea under Right to Information Act  by Jammu based RTI activist Raman Sharma reveals that during the period between 01/Jan/2018 to July this year, 8571 Cease fire violations being committed  by Pakistan at borders.

The information provided by office of Director Security ( J & K Wing) of Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India vide their office letter dated 18/Aug/2020 further states that in these cease fire violations by Pakistan at IB and Loc areas during the period between Jan/2018 to July/2020 at least 119 Indians lost their lives including 63 Civilians and 56 Security force personnel besides causing injuries to 308 Civilians and 300 Security force Personnel.

The Communication by MHA also discloses that as compared to year 2010, the aggression incidents by Pakistan at border in Jammu and Kashmir in year 2019 increased around 50 times and till July 2020 further increased 60 times,  as in 2010, there were only 70 such incidents and in year 2019, 3479 such incidents are reported and till July-2020,  2952 incidents of ceasefire violations recorded.

The RTI reply further reads that from 2010 to till date Pakistan violated the peace pact on borders at least 11572 times and resorted to cross border fire in Jammu and Kashmir killing 240 Indians that includes 122 Civilians and 118 Security force personnel that also injured 673 civilians and 594 SF personnel. Every year the Cross border shelling incidents by Pakistan on border areas are increasing. In year 2010, only 70 such incidents were reported that killed 2 civilians and 5 SF personnel whereas in year 2019 the number of Pakistani’s unprovoked shelling incidents increased around 50 times as 3479 incidents reported that include killing of 18 Civilians and   19 Security personnel in cross border shelling.  This year till July, 2952 Cross border shelling claimed lives of  15 civilians besides 38 others injured and also causing death of 8 Jawans and injuring 62 others.

 

Ceasefire violation incidents by Pakistan at IB/Loc in                       J & K

Year	No of Ceasefire Violation	Civilians Killed	Security Force Personnel Killed	Security Force Personnel Injured	Civilians Injured
2010	70	2	5	20	1
2011	62	0	3	7	1
2012	114	2	4	9	3
2013	347	0	5	33	26
2014	583	14	3	28	101
2015	405	16	10	26	71
2016	449	13	13	99	83
2017	971	12	19	72	79
2018	2140	30	29	116	143
2019	3479	18	19	122	127
2020 (Upto July )	2952	15	8	62	38
Total	11572	122	118	594	673