Common sense, I have always referred to the various Government Orders, Court Decisions, Journals etc. dating as far as the early 80s. Where does one find them? Why dont you visit the libraries of institutes like IIM, BARC, ISRO, Parliament, or even your friendly neighbourhood raddi wala. Guard files are often known to be auctioned as pasti.
The email guidelines came in only recently and is incomplete. Like Sarbajit had mentioned earlier, it appears to have been hurriedly drafted by an NGO. Prior to that the Govt. had already issued orders to Public Authorities to obtain Digital Signatures. Later, they even issued instructions on use of PGP softwares for emails used to communicate confidential documents, para wise replies for court cases, embassy papers, parliament questions etc. If the Public Authorities have not got it, its not our problem. My mail was to RTI users who plan to send mails. If the mail from the citizen is digitally signed, then its legal, as per an earlier high court decision. Where does one get them? You can always get a digitial signtuature for your email free from Comodo and several other vendors. It will work with Outlook Express, MS Outlook and a few others, but will not work with a PGP Email client like The Bat. The MTNL is always around to offer the same for the Public Authorities. Two years ago, the Govt. had issued guidelines banning Government Servants from visit sites like Facebook, Orkut etc. Similarly years ago they had also issued orders asking them to refrain from using Hotmail offered by Microsoft. Why? Because the EUL of Hotmail prevented any subscriber from using it for business or official purpose. Most of these order were issued by Public Authorities like CMC, NCSTC, NIC, C-DAC, DOT (BSNL) etc. Later orders asked them to install spam filters. So there are no shortages of orders on Internet and emails. Many of them contradict each other. Picturise this, following a Supreme Court decision, the Min. of Environment & Forest issued orders in late 90s that no digital data would be printed, to save paper. Weeks later the PMO issued orders, citing the Y2K, all digital data, statement of accounts etc. should be printed immediately. In another case, the PMO issued orders banning the playing of cards. Later the Min of Home & Finance issued orders that Public Authorities should purchase computers with Preinstalled versions of Microsoft Windows only. LOL did not the card came also come installed? Did they actuall forget it or the babus used a surrogate method to defeat the PMO's orders? There is no shortage of "free advisors" for the babus - their children studing IT, relaives, neighbours, firang friends from their foreign trips, ads in computer magazines, vendors ready to give them a cut etc. Remember they issued orders for dial-up internet connections for themselves. Additional phone followed. Later, stating that it will help in reduction of costs towards FAX and courier, they got email ids. So RTI Wanted, its a long story. If you wish to gain an upper hand, stay a few step ahead of the babu log. Manoj --- On Mon, 8/10/09, C K Jam <[email protected]> wrote: From: C K Jam <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [rti_india] Amendment of the RTI Act- DoPT email addresses are difficult to access To: [email protected] Date: Monday, August 10, 2009, 11:59 PM Manoj, Where did you get that from ? The Government Guidelines for use and management of emails do not say anything about spam filters blocking out free email provider domains or digital signature for authentication. BTW, how many Public Servants have digital signatures ? RTIwanted --- On Mon, 8/10/09, Manoj Pai <manoj...@yahoo. com> wrote: Venkatesh, as far as sending such communication through email, you will need to follow a few things, before you carry out this exercise. First, you cannot use a free email id like Yahoo! mail, Gmail etc. At all costs avoid using Hotmail provided by Microsoft. Govt. agencies have spam filters which block such email ids. Use a proper and valid email id like one provided by the ISP - BSNL, sancharnet, airtelmail or your own domaiin email id sent through a mail client like Outlook Express, Eudora etc. Of course, you are using the CHIRI email id. But not everybody has that kind of email ids. Make sure that the email is digitally signed. This makes it legally valid under IT Act 2000. Send a copy of the mail to another email id. Manoj . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
