In it's great esteemed wisdom, the State Information Commission (SIC) for the Right to Information Act (RTI) has ruled that while a below poverty line person (BPL) will not need to pay the basic Rs 10 fees for filing an RTI application, the person will have to pay an expense of Rs 444 which is incurred while making the photocopies of material asked by the person.
After hearing the case of a BPL person Ms Shama Praveen, Mr. Rabindra Nath Dash of Mayurbhanj district, Orissa, the Commissioner has ruled that the BPL persons would have to pay all kinds of fees except the application fee. In its verdict, the commission stated that
After hearing the case of a BPL person Ms Shama Praveen, Mr. Rabindra Nath Dash of Mayurbhanj district, Orissa, the Commissioner has ruled that the BPL persons would have to pay all kinds of fees except the application fee. In its verdict, the commission stated that
the complainant was of the wrong notion that he being a BPL card holder is not supposed to pay any fee for copies of the information needed by him.If someone is unable to pay the Rs 10 fees which is excused for BPL people. a valid point was raised as to how someone is expected to pay the rest of the amount. Even in the FAQ (Frequent Asked Question) put on the website of the Govt. of Orissa the state where this verdict was given, it is mentioned that
no fee will be charged from the people below the poverty lineBut the commission has not bothered at all about all these provisions before delivering the above verdict directed against the BPL families. Such absurd decisions will only reduce the power of the RTI act and take away the power from the poorest of the poor who can use it to change their lives for the better.
1 comment:
Absolutely.
Its not enough that the Indian RTI remains the most well-written and well-conceived of such Acts.
It needs effective, and case sensitive implementation.
Its great though that orgns such as AID serve as watchdogs and keep the issue within the civil society radar.
Post a Comment