Dear All Why group members want to oppose file notings? What harm it will do to RTI act or citizens seeking file notings?
File notings are part of decision making process, if file notings contain factual incorrect information, decision based on these factual incorrect inputs will be faulty, so to arrive at any decision, inputs required for taking decision are very much important. File notings are nothing but "inputs" to arrive at some decision. I think group should debate plus and minus points of making available file notings under RTI act. Satish ________________________________ From: ashish kr1965 <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, October 28, 2009 5:07:34 AM Subject: [rti_india] Re: Right to Information Act- Analysis of amendments being discussed - S Dear Mr Das You wrote ">I am really curious enough to know how many members are opposing file notings >here. A poll would be the most scientific method unless of course all the other >members oppose to a poll on this issue." I am a "pioneer" member of this group having joined in March 2006 at a time when I was the designated RTI first appellate for my department. This group's ethic was very well discussed so that "all sides of the RTI divide" could communicate. The 6 principles which resulted are not separable. If at all a poll has to be conducted it must be concerning all the 6 principles. At its most elemental level the 6th principle ("file notings") represents the ultimate "Leap of Faith" for RTI stakeholders, especially the citizens - RTI applicants, which can only be reached once the previous 5 have been fully assimilated. Best wishes "Ashish" You wrote ... Dear Sarbajit, I will try to answer some of your questions. 1) It is clear that it is only the NGOs and CSOs who are in favour of file notings - the ordinary citizens couldnt care less. Well, as far as I know, I am just an ordinary citizen only. I also run NGOs but that has nothing to do with the RTIs. I am really curious enough to know how many members are opposing file notings here. A poll would be the most scientific method unless of course all the other members oppose to a poll on this issue. 2) I dont know what kind of gender equality you (or your NGO) are practising / opposing but the fact that we have laws today like 498A/IPC and Domestic Violence Act clearly shows that you have either been very successful or very unsuccessful. Very correct. We have been very unsuccessful till date. The reason was mainly that we did NOT have RTIs during those period while those laws were being framed. But now we have RTIs. And filing RTIs for the file notings helped us change laws during the drafting stage itself. 3) The only time to stop / change a law is well before it is even drafted. Thereafter all you have to do is strongly defend the changes YOU have got into the proposed Bill. Trust me I am an expert on this :-) Writing to the President / exposing to media etc. are acts of LOSERS - especially under-resourced losers. This group is not for LOSERS (and whiners) but for WINNERS and potential Winners.. Very correct. We even appeared in front of the Parliamentary Committee and stronly gave our views during the law drafting stage only. But NO one listended to us. Strangely enough when we asked file notings, everyone started listening to us and even to the extent of Undersecretary making phone calls to us. And the thing which we could not acheive by writing and crying house over the years was acheived simply by filing multiple RTIs and asking for file notings. Infact RTI is one of the most effective and direct tool in fighting corruption. I would be very happy to learn on your expertise on the changes u sucessfully defended in any proposed Bill. It would also help me to enhance my knowledge and learn from winners like you. We are really proud to have a potential winner like you in our group. 4) Going on Dharna, is a valuable tool if you can muster at least tens of thousands on the streets in your support - having a few hundreds just doesn't count anymore. Very correct as I have already admitted it. Dharnas with just 100 people does NOT work. However filing multiple RTIs and asking for file noting is suprisingly causing wonders. It was just our bad luck that we did not have RTIs much earlier (or we were not aware of it) or we could have fought rampant corruption while framing of laws at the initial stage only. 5) Just for the record, the group is not opposed to file notings in isolation. It is an integral part of a 6 point approach to RTI available at http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/rti_ india/message/ 379. Well, we could easily have a poll here as to find how many members want file notings, unless of course all members start writing and strongly oppose a polling. Niladri
