The annual report was today tabled by Chief Minister DD Lapang at a five-minute session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly that began today. The report which encompasses the data on the implementation of the RTI in the State pointed out that the commission “may not correctly reflect the full picture of the RTI activities that had taken place in the year as a large number of Public Authorities had failed to furnish the relevant information for the annual report.”
The public authorities (with departments) who failed to furnish requisite information includes the Arts and Culture, AH &Veterinary, Border Areas Development, C&RD, Meghalaya State Warehousing Cooperation, Meghalaya Apex Handloom Weavers & Handicrafts Cooperative Federation Ltd, Communication, District Council Affairs, Excise: Registration: Taxation & Stamps Department, Education, Finance, Food and Civil Supplies, Fisheries, GAD, Home (Police), Home Guards and Civil Defence, Home (Jails), Housing, Industries, Information Technology, Geology and Mining, Personnel, PHE, Power, Printing and Stationery, PWD, Revenue and Disaster Management, Sports and Youth Affairs, Sericulture and Weaving, Transport, Urban Affairs and Weight and Measures.
The annual report also mentioned that a total number of 344 requests were received by the Public Information Officers of the public authorities who have furnished reports. With 16 requests pending from 2007 there are a total number of 360 requests to be disposed off by the PIO during 2008, the report said, adding that 335 requests were disposed off by the PIOs during the year which accounts for 93.0 per cent of all total number of requests available for disposal. While the remaining requests of 25 (or 7 per cent) were at various stages of processing at the end of 2008, the report said that only two requests were rejected.
“This shows that the public authorities have been providing the information in most cases,” the annual report said. However, in its recommendations the annual report observed, “The information flow from the level of the PIOs to the public authorities/Government departments has not been smooth; as a result, many departments have failed to furnish the requisite information in time for preparation of the annual report in spite of reminders by the commission.”
The annual report also included the commission’s observations and recommendations for reforms in the annual report, for the development, improvement, modernization, reforms or amendment of the Act or other legislation or common law or any other matter relevant for operationalizing the right to access information. Pointing out to 19 recommendations made in the previous two annual reports and the status of implementation the annual report also recommended that public authorities/Government departments should insist on submission of a quarterly report from all PIOs.