DoPT bringing out compendium on RTI best practices -Governance Now

DoPT bringing out compendium on RTI best practices

Department has invited write-ups on best practices

Brajesh Kumar | May 14, 2013

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has decided to publish a compendium of best practices on right to information (RTI) Act being adopted by public authorities all over the country.

It has invited write-ups from people in this regard.

The 20 best writes-up would be selected for inclusion in the compendium. The DoPT will also give a reward of Rs 25,000 each to the selected 20.

“The write-ups should be of about 5000 words, neatly typed in 1.5 line space and 14 size font. All documents in support of the best practice should be attached separately,” a circular from DoPT issued on Monday said.

The compilation of the RTI best practices is an attempt to fend off some of the criticism the DoPT faced from civil society groups on leaving out portions of the task force’s recommendation on section 4.

The task force formed by DoPT to come out with recommendation on effective implementation of section 4 of the RTI, had a chapter on best practices adopted by public authorities, but was left out of the guidelines issued by the DoPT last month.

According section 4 of the RTI Act, every public authority should proactively disclose information on its own. It lists 17 categories of information which had to be proactively disclosed by all public authorities. It requires them to routinely disclose information about their functions, decision-making norms, documents held, employee contacts, and budgets.

However seven years after the RTI Act came into effect, government departments had been turning blind eye to it.

“The compendium would be sent to all public authorities/departments so that they have a template before them and could replicate them,” a DoPT official said.

The circular inviting the write up lists the format for it. It should include among others name of the public authority, whose practice is being considered in the write up; need felt/problem faced by the public authority leading to adoption of such practice; details of the said practice, including its scope, financial implications, and deployment of resources such as manpower, infrastructure; and scope of its replication in other public authorities.

The deadline for submission of the write up is June 28.

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