Letter from the Editor

Dear readers,

Right to information has got a jolt when government started talking about deletion of file notings from the scan of RTI act. File notings are so important part of information conveyed by government officials that it can be spared at any cost. If file notings are deleted from the act, then RTI will lose its colour and shine. File nothings are the messages or orders written by any government officer on the side margin of an application or letter. These notes tell us that where the file is going? Whom is it refered to? If a file is lillegally stopped or lopped off, by any officer, file noting can tell us who is responsible for that. Without the revelation of file notings, any applicant cannot catch the officer who is doing the misdeeds. Only thing he can know that whether his application is submitted or not, whether it has been forwarded or not. He cannot know whether somebody has taken any step or not on his file.

According to the definition of RTI (ch 1, clause 1, sub clause (f) of Right to Information Act, 2005) published in the Gazette of India , 21 June 2005, information means anything like floppy , files, films, tapes, CDs etc. if file notings are deleted than many kinds of opinions, orders, comments, advises will not be shown to the applicant. This needs government to amend the RTI Act and nobody likes it else government.

We support people’s initiative and we condemn anything, which curbs the empowerment of common people. We urge our readers and general intelligentsia to oppose the steps, which are against the freedom of people and support the people’s intitiative through RTI.

Thank you.

Yours truly,
Editor

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April 2008

April  2008
Samar - a bimonthly and bilingual magazine