UNODC Seminar On International Anti-Corruption Day
Of lately, RTI has gained prominence. Despite this, the country has witnessed an escalation in the corruption for over the past few years. After October 2005, when RTI came into existence from the corridors of the Parliament as a powerful weapon to maintain the system of checks and balances, people all over the country find it difficult to use this tool. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a Seminar on December 8, 2008, on the eve of International Anti Corruption Day. The venue was UNODC Conference Hall, New Delhi.
The Seminar witnessed the confluence of many dignitaries on a common platform to express their thoughts on corruption and RTI. The subject of the Seminar was saying “No to Corruption”. The Seminar was attended by dignitaries like Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Chief Information Commissioner Dr. Wajahat Habibullah, Chief Vigilance Commissioner Mr. Pratyush Sinha, CBI Director Mr. Ashwani Kumar and many other prominent personalities.
Dr. Kalam opened the Seminar and presented his concerns regarding RTI Act and corruption. Mr. Pratyush Sinha, Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India threw light on the various aspects of RTI and stressed that until and unless everyone is made aware of the RTI Act, it will remain a silent weapon. CIC Mr. Habibullah, talked about the issues regarding the accessibility and use of the RTI Act, whereby he quoted some examples how aware and diligent people have made an effective use of the RTI. He was very much concerned about RTI being misused by people to settle personal scores or make their selfish interests. Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh added to above topic as of how RTI can be promoted at all levels of the society and every single person’s contribution was indispensable.
Addtional Secretary, Ministry of Information technology, Mr. S.R. Rao laid the emphasis on the use of IT and how can this be made feasible and accessible to one and all. Mr. R. Swaminathan, Joint secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and Chief Passport Officer, cited examples where people used the RTI Act to know the status of their applications.
Prof. (Dr.) Mishra touched upon the issues that need immediate attention and raised questions like, how can the security of a person filing the RTI be ensured especially vis-à-vis rural areas? He raised the question to CBI Director as how can the CBI claim to be corruption free when it falls under the PMO. I too put up some questions before the CIC and the Joint secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, about the backlogs at the RTI offices in different parts of the country and why government is not spending enough to create awareness campaign for RTI.
At the end of the Seminar, it was concluded that RTI required a concerted effort from people from all walks of life and it’s not just about an individual. Moreover, adoption of e-governance will drastically minimize the corruption in various government departments as all the information will be accessible by anyone and everyone via website which will make the functioning of these departments much more transparent.
