CH NEWS
YADGIR
The Right to Information (RTI) Act plays a vital role in ensuring transparency and accountability in governance in India’s democratic system, said B Venkata Singh, State Information Commissioner, Kalaburagi Bench of the Karnataka State Information Commission.
He was speaking at a workshop on the RTI Act organised for district- and taluk-level officials at the auditorium of the District Administrative Bhavan.
Venkata Singh said the RTI Act empowers citizens to question the functioning of the government and obtain necessary information. Similar laws are in force in more than 112 countries and have a history of nearly 300 years, he said.
Earlier, RTI applications from the Kalyana Karnataka region were heard at the Bengaluru Bench. The Information Commission’s Bench was established in Kalaburagi in 2024.
Of the nearly 45,000 cases pending before the Karnataka Information Commission, a large number have been disposed of over the past one-and-a-half years, placing Karnataka first in the country in terms of case disposal, Venkata Singh said.
He said more than 2,800 old cases had been disposed of during 115 days of hearings at the Kalaburagi Bench, out of more than 6,500 pending cases.He directed Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to regularly review the receipt, disposal and pendency of RTI applications during KDP progress review meetings.
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tukaram Pandey said the workshop helped officials understand the challenges involved in disposing of RTI applications and appeals. Every government official must have a clear understanding of the provisions of the RTI Act, as well as their powers and responsibilities. This would help prevent unnecessary pendency of applications and appeals, he said.
Pandey also said the attitude of officials who view RTI applications negatively as soon as they are submitted by citizens must change.State Information Commissioner of the Bengaluru Bench Dr Valvekar, Superintendent of Police Prithvik Shankar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ramesh Kolar and district- and taluk-level officials were present.