-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt gearing up to enforce Right to Information Act -------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the central government directing the states to prepare the modalities for implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2005, passed in Parliament within 120 days, the state government is gearing up to finalise the necessary arrangement for its implementation.
This Act supersedes the Goa Right to Information Act, which was passed in 1997 and many other acts on information-related issues passed in few states. The state administration held a high level meeting on Friday and discussed the modalities to be adopted for its implementation. The meeting was chaired by the Chief Secretary, Ms Kiran Dhingra. The government will also appoint the information commissioner, which the Central Act says will function as an autonomous body. The citizens have to seek redressal of their grievances over seeking public information from the information commissionrate. Official sources said that the meeting took into account the earlier arrangements in various departments for implementation of the Goa Act. The Goa Act has authorised the heads of various government department as competent authorities and the citizens were suppose to get their grievances redressed from the administrative tribunal. While the Central Act has made it mandatory to appoint public information officer and assistant information officers in every government departments for providing the information sought by the citizens. The meeting decided to authorised the heads and the deputy heads of the department to act as public information and assistant public information officers. The Act also has a provision that if the citizens fail to get information from both these officials there is provision to get redressal from the higher-up officials. The government is considering to empower the secretaries to act as the first level grievance authority. The meeting also finalised the modalities over displaying the broad-band information in various departments also and issuing the directory of officers. The meeting also briefed the officers over several provision in the Central Act. The state legislative assembly, which is expected to meet in August will ratify the central bill. It may be recalled that Goa was the first state in the country to adopt the Right to Information Act in 1997, after several organisations, including the journalists bodies demanded to enact the law for providing the public information sought by the citizens. ------------------------------------------------- The Navhind Times 11/07/05 page 3 ------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK --------------------------------------------------------------------------- an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goacan.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.13/47 - Release Date: 7/12/2005
