ITS MANY achievements — and failures — notwithstanding, the Right to Information Act which came into effect during the early days of UPAI was truly a feather in the government’s cap. Yet, take a closer look now and you will see that just five years after the landmark legislation was enacted, the RTI is more a whimper and less the bang that the government promised. The rot begins at the top. The provisions of the RTI Act are diluted or blatantly ignored to ensure that the political class doesn’t come under the scanner. The readiness of the government to reveal the assets of ministers seems to be inversely proportional to the public curiosity to know the same.
Here are the rules. The Code of Conduct for ministers says that a person, before taking office as a minister, shall “ disclose to the Prime Minister or the chief minister ( as the case may be) details of the assets and liabilities and business interests, of himself and members of his family”. Similar rules exist for MPs of both Houses. While contesting polls, candidates have to declare their assets before the Election Commission, the details of which are then made available on the commission’s website. Later, MPs file declarations to the presiding officers of the two Houses. These, too, can be accessed via the RTI route. But when it comes to ministers, the goalposts are shifted. I am told that most ministers regularly comply with the prime minister’s directive to file annual declarations, but for reasons unknown, the PMO doesn’t place these in Parliament.
Two weeks ago, as a result of an RTI query, the Lok Sabha secretariat wrote to the PMO to say that since ministers’ declarations are made directly to Prime Minister, “ it is felt that the instant reference is not required to be placed before the Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha”. A similar letter went to the PMO from the Rajya Sabha. Shorn of ‘ bureaucrat- ese’, what this means is that the presiding officers of the two houses are not privy to information about ministerial assets. It’s easy to guess why someone wants to hide something. The question is: Who?
Ask Wajahat Habibullah, who as the Central Information Commissioner is the custodian of RTI. He put the ball into Parliament’s court. There are more RTI applications on the subje
ct of ministerial wealth than anything else, but RTI activists — the media, lawyers and public — spirited citizens are constantly being stonewalled by the PMO and the Cabinet Secretariat, both of which maintain that details of ministerial wealth are personal matters and therefore cannot be divulged. So much for transparency in government.
ct of ministerial wealth than anything else, but RTI activists — the media, lawyers and public — spirited citizens are constantly being stonewalled by the PMO and the Cabinet Secretariat, both of which maintain that details of ministerial wealth are personal matters and therefore cannot be divulged. So much for transparency in government. As if that weren’t bad enough, here is more proof to show that the RTI is as good as dead. Incredible as it may seem, the W. Habibullah R. PRASAD government has no idea of the number of people who enjoy the perks and comforts of ministerial office while not being ministers in the government. You’d think the CabSec will know, but ask and you will be told to knock on the doors of the Ministry of Home Affairs. India Today magazine filed an RTI in July 2009 seeking to know the number of such people and details of offices they held and their perks.
The CabSec forwarded the application to the ministry of home affairs ( MHA). The MHA in turn sent us a reply saying that “ the status of Union cabinet minister on a person, is processed by individual administrative ministries/ departments for approval of the Prime Minister directly. A centralised list is not maintained by this ministry. You may approach the individual ministries and departments in respect of organisations under their administrative control.”
Earlier this year, we tried our luck again. Once again, the Cab- Sec forwarded the application to MHA. Last month, the home ministry informed us: “... the status of union cabinet minister on a person, is processed by individual administrative ministries/ departments for approval of the Prime Minister directly. A centralised list is not maintained by this ministry.”
A year later, nothing changed, not even a comma. Well placed sources tell me that there are as many people enjoying ministerial perks as there are ministers in the Union council, which at last count was over 75. All of them are allotted bungalows in Lutyens Delhi, driven around town in official cars with a red beacon light and entitled to official staff of nine, whose salaries are paid by the government.
Considering that each MP costs the country nearly ` 40 lakh a year, the cost of these ministers- without- ministries can be imagined. That’s perhaps why the government exercises the Right to Conceal.
2 comments:
AS BECAUSE OUR GOVT IS WEAK, OUR POLICY MAKERS ARE DISTRACTED AND OUR MILITARY HAS NO SAY IN THE MATTERS OF DEFENCE, THE SITUATION IS SO GRAVE THAT WE HAVE TO SUCCUMB TO THE PRESSURES OF CHINA.NOW CHINA IS MAKING THREATS TO US BY REFUSING VISA TO OUR ARMY COMMANDER,DECLINING TO ACCEPT KASHMIR AS OUR INTEGRAL PART, DISPUTING OUR STATUS ON ARUNACHAL PRADESH.IT HAS IN ITS OCCUPATION 1 LAKH SQKM OF OUR LAND IN WHICH THE MANSAROVAR LAKE INCLUDED.IT IS TRYING TO USURP OUR LANDS IN POK BY SENDING ITS ARMY OF 11000 SOLDIERS TO BALTIC GILGIT PROVINCES,BUILDING ROADS AND RAILWAY LINES FROM ITS PLACES TO MUZAFFARBAD IN POK.ALL THESE ARE THE OUTCOME OF OUR POOR AND WEAK DEFENCE POLICIES IN WHICH OUR GOVT HAS MADE US WEAK,LAZY AND IMPOTENTS FOR WHICH WE ARE SUFFERRING NOW.THE STATEMENT BY PPC OF CHINA IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND RECENT STUDY IN CHINA IN WHICH IT HAS ENVISAGED THE TOTAL BREAKING OF INDIA INTO THIRTY STATES AND THE INDIAN NATION IN PERIL SHOWS THAT IT HAS ITS EVIL DESIGNS ON INDIA.NOW THE SAY OF PPC REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY OF A LIMITED WAR WITH INDIA WOULD BE SEEN IN THAT PERSEPECTIVES AND INDIA SHOULD NOT DELAY ITS ACQUISTIONS OF ALL ARMY HARDWRAES.IT SHOULD GO ON SHOPPING SPREE OF ALL THE WORLDS LATEST MACHINES FOR OUR ARMY,NAVY AND AIRFORCE.WE NEED TO ALLOCATE 6 PERCENT OF OUT GDP FOR DEFENCE FORCES. WE WARN OUR LEADERS THAT IF WE WOULD REMAIN FREE FROM OCCUPANCY BY CHINA WE WOULD GET OUR FRUITS BUT IF WE WOULD BE UNDER THEM THEN WE WOULD EB LIVING A WRETCHED AND HELLISH LIFE.ALL TEH ACCOUNTS OF ALL THESE LEADERS OF INDIA WHO HAD STASHED INDIAN MONEY IN SWISS BANKS WOULD REPENT FOR TEHIR WEAK POLICIES AS THE CHINESE GOVT IN INDIA WOULD BRING BACK ALL THESE MONEY TO THEM AND SHOT ALL THE LEADERS WHOSE NAME WOULD EB FOUND IN THE SWISS BANKS.SO BE PREPARED FOR TEH WORST AND PAY FOR THE NEGLECTING OUR DEFENCE FORCES AND BUREAUCRACY.
CONGRESS IS THE NO.1 BLACKMAILER IN INDIAN POLITICS.IT IS BACKMAILING ALL THE NON CONGRESS GOVTS BY DENYING THEM PERMISSIONS FOR ANY DEVELOPMENTAL WORKS IN THEIR STATES. RECENTLY ITS ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY HAD DENIED PERMISSION FOR MINING OF NIYAMGIRI HILLS WHICH IS FULL OF BAUXITE.THE LANJIGARH AREA WHICH WAS HIGHLY UNDER DEVELOPED AND THE PEOPLE WERE LIVING IN A WRETCHED LIFE HAD BEEN DREAMT OF A GOOD LIFE WITH EDUCATION AND LIVELIHOOD ARE DENIED ANY DEVELOPMENT BY VESTED INTEREST GROUPS BY THE ANTI ORISSA GROUP FROM CONGRESS AND BJP.THESE TWO PARTIES WERE DRIVEN OUT BY THE VOTERS OF ORISSA BY DECIMATING THEM TO SINGLE DIGITS DUE TO THEIR DESTRUCTIVE POLITICS.THE VOTERS ARE ENAMOURED BY THE PEOPLE & POOR CENTRIC POLICY BY NAVEEN PATTANAIK’S GOVT.BUT THESE GROUPS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE DEVELOPMENTAL WORKS WHEREEVER IT IS I.E.IRRIGATION,POWER,INDUSTRY,MINING ETC.
IT IS TO BE NOTED THAT THE CONGRESS GOVT IN ORISSA FROM 1990 TO 1999 HAS MADE THE STATE POORER AND THE MINE CONTRACTORS RICHER.ALL OF THE MINES LEASE WERE GRANTED TO THE RELATIVES OF THE THEN CM OF ORISSA.THEY HAD SOLD ALL THE MINES LIKE COAL,IRON ORE,MANAGNESE ETC WITHOUT ANY LICENSE AND LEASE AND HAD EARNED CRORES.
THAT AFTER NAVEEN CAME TO POWER HE ALSO FAILED TO CHECK THEM AS THEY HAD MADE HIM BLIND.BUT WHEN HE OPENED HIS EYES ALL THE RICH RESOURCES WERE EXPORTED.NOW THEY ARE CRYING FOR EVACUEES OF POSCO PROJECT AD VEDANTA PROJECTS.THEY HAVE BEEN PLAYING INTO THE HANDS OF SOME CORPORATE OPPOSITIONS AND ARE BEING FED BY THEM TO RAISE AGITATIONS IN TEHSE SECTORS SO THAT THESE COMAPNEIS WOULD BE FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM ORISSA,BUT NAVEEN IS HIGHLY DEFENSIVE ON THE MATTER RATHER THEN BEING AGGRESSIVE.DUE TO HIS SILENCE & SIMPLICITY THE CENTRE IS STOPPING ALL THESE PROJECTS IN THE NAME OF CLERANCE BY FORESTS AND ENVIRONMENTS PERMISSIONS.
BUT STEPMOTHERLY ATTITUDE BY CENTRE FOR NON-CONGRESS IS DANGEROUS FOR THE FEDERAL STRUCTURE OF INDIA.CONGRESS IS ONLY IN POWER IN A FEW STATES AND ALL OTHER STATES HAVE NON-CONGRESS GOVTS.IT PLAYS POLITICS TO NON-CONGRESS GOVTS TO MAKE THEM UNPOPULAR BY DEPRIVING THEM SIMILAR TREATMENTS WITH CONGRESS AND UPA GOVT OF STATES.
IN ORISSA IT IS PLAYING POLITICS BY PUTTING UP RAHUL GANDHI WHO IS SIMPLY A NOVICE AND DONOT KNOW THE FACTS AND FIGURES.HE SHOULDNOT STOP DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NON CONGRESS GOVT STATES AND SHOULD LOOK ALL THE STATES EQUALLY.IT IS NOT GOOD FOR INDIAN UNITY.WHEN PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND RAHUL GANDHI AND HIS MOTHERS CONSPIRACY, THEY WOULD BE NO WHERE.SO THEY SHOULD BE PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR WORST.
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