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'Too many Bureaucrats' From RTI Activist To Info CommissionerBy Dr arvind, Section News
For the first time, an activist who has campaigned for your right to know will now be hearing public appeals at the Central Information Commission (CIC).
Noted Right to Information activist Shailesh Gandhi will be appointed with three others as information commissioners at the CIC, senior government officials told HT on Wednesday A committee comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and BJP leader L.K. Advani is learnt to have finalised their names at a recent meeting. The others cleared for appointment are Satyananda Mishra, secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT); senior CBI officer M.L. Sharma and social activist Annapurna Dixit. Minister of State for DoPT Prithviraj Chavan said the committee decided on the names unanimously. "The committee has given due representation to all sections of society and this time, special effort has been made to recognise the role of civil society," Chavan said. The total number of commissioners at the CIC has gone up to seven from the existing five. Click on "Full Story" for more...
However, leading RTI activists Aruna Roy and Arvind Kejriwal are far from happy with the new appointments.
They have opposed the ac- commodation of "retired and semi-retired bureaucrats as information commissioners". "More than 80 per cent of information commissioners across the country in the CIC and state commissions are retired bureaucrats. There should be a transparent appointments process," Roy said. In a letter to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, noted RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal said despite one of the best information laws in the world, people were not getting information due to poor quality information commissioners across the country "Whereas Shailesh shines as a pleasant surprise, what eminence do the other new commissioners have to make a claim for these posts," he asked. From: HT, Sep-04-08
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