karnataka

Indeed, the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 has transformed the governance of the country by mandating timely response to citizen requests for government information. For the sake of repetition, RTI is an act to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, the constitution of a Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Like in other areas, technology is all set to change the way citizens take up the act to their full advantage . Starting January next year, RTI applicants in Karnataka can track the status of their applications via SMS. All thanks to the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) that has rolled out the service to ensure that applicants have quick information at hands. According to HN Krishna, In-charge, Chief Information Commissioner, the trial begins today and the service would help applicants to ascertain the number of their case, the date of hearing and the date of disposal. All via SMS. These three messages will be delivered free of costs, but the additional ones will cost 10 paisa each to the applicant. Applicants who mention their phone numbers and who choose to avail the service in the form only can take the advantage of it. And it is anticipated that this service will mark the end of the routine long delays in procuring information from public offices. Apart from the SMS service, KIC has also unveiled a video-conferencing facility to ensure that those in rural areas need not travel to the cities to attend hearings of complaints as the same can be had from the facility. For quite a long time now, all applicants and public officers had to be physically present before the commission during the hearings. The initiative will compel the public information officers (PIO) to reply to the information requests by applicants in a prompt manner. If you are not aware, there were about 15,000 RTI applications in Karnataka alone this year and the replies to most of them have been delayed. The new service will change the scene alongside decreasing the expenses and costs to the applicants. During the inauguration, KIC did a trial with studios in five districts of the state. Officers who have delayed in responding have also been instructed to do so within 30 days as a part of the service. However, some RTI activists feel that this move is not appropriate considering the details that applicants need to provide. An activist claims that complainants are interrupted and cut off abruptly during the calls and this may bring down the number of complaints. All said and done, today both urban and rural people are filing for RTI equally. In fact, there is a good awareness among them that any RTI application has to be replied to without fail. The coming of RTI has promoted the idea of popular sovereignty and has brought openness, transparency and accountability in public administration. It also empowers people to combat corruption and bridges the gap between providers and recipients of public service. In my opinion, the Act should be integrated with more technology oriented solutions to realize its full potential. Not just Karnataka, but every Indian state should take up such initiative. Orissa is the state which needs such initiative to address its 8000 pending RTI applications. And the same may be the case with the rest of the states. So the time now is ripe for other Indian states to weave technology with RTI. What do you say? REGISTER FOR WATSUMMIT – INDIA’S FLAGSHIP SUMMIT ON DIGITAL MEDIA REGISTER NOW! Related Posts Mobile Phones – What Indian Teenagers Can’t Live Without! Mobile Revolution Takes Off Through Mobile Apps Mobile Banking – Will It Be Ever Be Bigger Than E-banking? SMS Based IM, Social networking – The Next Killer App For Indian Mobile? Educomp wins 100 Crore Project to Impart Computer Education in Karnataka