The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 8th Annual Convention of Central Information Commission (CIC) today (September 2, 2013) at DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, the President stated that the eighth annual convention of Central Information Commission is an important occasion to reflect and introspect about how RTI has impacted on the functioning of the government and citizens. He called upon all stakeholders to use the occasion of the Convention to deliberate on issues of abiding interest in the areas of Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance. He hoped that the Convention would come up with new ideas that can improve the implementation of the RTI Act.
The President said that a large number of appeals/complaints before the Commission, however, were also indicative of the need for enhancement in the quality of voluntary disclosure so that information seekers are not required to join long queues. He called upon the Public Authorities to be proactive and voluntarily put information in the public domain for the use of citizens. He stated that our enthusiasm about transparency and democracy should not make us ignore, even for a moment, the fact that the citizen who is at the heart of all these arrangements is also an individual with certain inviolable rights to privacy. He added that there is a wafer thin difference between what is public and what is private. The RTI Act has provisions which deal with such issues, but there are certain areas which need further clarity. There is perhaps need to create an arrangement that would provide protection to individuals in case their privacy is breached through unlawful means, he stressed. He called upon the Government to do everything possible to create an informed citizenry which is vital for the functioning of our democracy.
Dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Prime Minister’s Office and Shri Satyananda Mishra, Chief Information Commissioner.
