RTI may become passe, mine open data for information

Govt puts 3,500 data sets online, encourages developers to come up with apps around the data

shivangi-narayan

Shivangi Narayan | August 8, 2013



The days of filing right to information (RTI) applications to get information from the government may soon be over. The government is planning to voluntarily put all information on public domain and encourage development of applications (apps) around them to encourage greater and more efficient access.
With transparency becoming more than a buzzword, in fact evolving to become a deliverable, the government also needs to think beyond the RTI. Thus, the government is devising a project that puts information online on a real-time to near-real-time basis.

This broad body of data will be called Open Data. The government plans to buid android-friendly apps for people to use this data. In this context, national informatics centre (NIC) along with Nasscom organised a conference on 'Open data apps for innovation in governance' in Delhi on Thursday.

The conference was organised to encourage the use of open government data. The website data.gov.in which is to be the repository for all government data and was in the beta version was launched in its full avatar by Kapil Sibal, union minister for information technology and communications. At present, 3,500 data sets are available on the website which the government plans to increase to 10,000 by the end of the year.

Many dignitaries from the government and private sector, including IT secretary J Satyanarayana, participated in the event. Sam Pitroda, advisor to the prime minister, marked his presence through video-conferencing. Sibal said that data is necessary for opinion building which leads to development of better policies for the people. “Long time back, the government thought that it was the sole proprietor for data, it was wrong as this was a hindrance to development,” he said.

The minister added that spatial data is present on the open data platform and many apps can be forwarded from integrating spatial and non-spatial data. “If we integrate data on water and sanitation, we can accurately design sanitation systems according to the condition of water of any area,” he said.
Satyanarayana lauded the open data initiative and said that the presence of data in the public domain will improve functioning of the government and make it more responsible and participatory. “It will kick off innovation in the society and no one knows what app we may bump into which will change the face of governance and become a game changer,” he said.

He also announced an app development competition where participants will have to develop an app using the data present on data.gov.in in six weeks time. He said that the competition will bring in awareness about the website. The competition carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for the winner and fifty thousand for the person coming in second.

Pitroda said the open data initiative democratised information and invited young people to develop apps on the basis of that data. “The young developers should look at apps that work on the district or even the panchayat level rather than the national level,” he said.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Understanding Bharat’s history from its own perspective

Eminent Distorians: Twists and Truths in Bharat`s History By Utpal Kumar BluOne Ink, 334 pages

‘MAGA’ + ‘MIGA’ = ‘MEGA’ partnership for prosperity: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi has linked the dream of a Viksit Bharat with US president Donald Trump’s slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, or ‘MAGA’, saying that when these two democracies work together, i.e. ‘MAGA’ plus ‘Make India Great Again’ (‘

ONOE: Anti-federalism or pro-reform?

The government`s move to implement ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) has ignited widespread debate. On one hand, it offers tangible benefits, such as removing the possibility of a governance paralysis and reducing election costs. On the other hand, the opposition and sections of civil society s

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana completes first year

On February 13, 2025, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) will mark its first anniversary, celebrating a year of empowering households with affordable solar energy and accelerating India’s transition to a sustainable future. Launched by prime minister Narendra Modi on Febru

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter