First, all the development projects, particularly poverty alleviation
programmes should incorporate transparency and accountability norms to
allow for objective scrutiny of the process of execution of programmes and to
asses the extent of adherence of the norms of equity and justice in delivery of
essential services to the persons who are entitled for the specified benefits.
Second, with a view to reaping the benefits of RTI for rapid poverty
reduction, the Government should develop the capacities for access to
information. The capacities of both the public authorities (i.e. the duty –
bearers) and the citizens (i.e. the claim holders) may have to be enhanced,
for which a two-pronged strategy would be needed.
20
i) A comprehensive Information Management System should be developed
by each public authority for storage and retrieval of data and information that
may be shared with anyone who seeks to inspect the records and use the
information for development purposes. Use of information technologies would
not only facilitate faster dissemination of information but would also reduce
the costs of servicing and sharing information.
ii) In order to properly manage the demand for information from the NGOs, in
general, and the citizens, in particular, a concerted effort should be made to
create mass awareness among the people to promote information literacy.
Awareness level among the poor is less than 10 per cent, which is a major
obstacle in reaping the benefits of RTI for securing entitlements to the poor.
Third, in view of high illiteracy among the poor, a multimedia approach should
be adopted to educate and train people of diverse linguistic backgrounds.
They should be enabled to decide and select as to what information should be
sought for and that from where and how? Besides, they should also know as
to how to make best use of information for effective participation in economic
and political processes. This alone can ensure cost-effective use of the
provisions of the RTI Act and promote efficient use of resources that are
allocated for development purposes, including poverty alleviation.
Fourth, the role of NGOs is critical for creating effective demand for maximum
disclosure of information relating to public activities so that an informed
citizenry can participate in designing and implementation of socio-economic
programmes. This task is challenging in deed. At least, one-third persons,
largely illiterate, have awfully low level of awareness about RTI and the
manner in which it could be used as a tool to ensure the realization of their
entitlements. Therefore, increase in awareness about the human rights and
how to realize them would lead to a strong multiplier effects to eradicate
poverty and to create necessary conditions for good governance, of which all
the stakeholders would be duly proud of.
Finally, democratization of information and knowledge resources is critical
for people’s empowerment to realize the entitlements as well as to augment
opportunities for enhancing the options for improving quality of life. The
strengthening of information regime is therefore sine quo non for promoting
democratic governance and right to development.
For instance, disclosure of information relating to: i) attendance of staff in schools has helped in checking teachers’ absenteeism and students’ drop out; ii) attendance of doctors and nurses at primary health centres has led to improvement in health care facilities in rural areas; iii) the details of supplies and distribution of food grains through ration shops has assured the reach of entitlements to the beneficiaries; iv) the supply and demand for petroleum products, such as, domestic gas has reduced black marketing; v) muster rolls and beneficiary of employment guarantee schemes has exposed corruption and ensured effective delivery of services to the poor who are entitled for wage employment on demand for at least 100 days in a year @ Rs.60 – 80 per day, which means additional income of Rs.6000 – 8000 per year; and vi) allotment of retail outlets (petrol pumps) and agencies for distribution of LPG gas, including the registered beneficiaries has ensured fair play and objective decisions, as reflected from substantial reduction in litigation cases in the matter. The disclosure of the list of beneficiaries for income support like wage employment and subsidized food grains and subsidized services like domestic gas has helped in weeding out the fictitious names, resulting in better targeting of services to the poor. And, reduction in corruption due to checks on black -marketing of subsidized goods and services. As a result of increased Government’s accountability in delivery of services, rural to urban migration has, of late, decelerated, as widely reported in the media. This is also corroborated by the findings of a national level survey conducted by the Transparency International and the Centre for Media Studies. The survey has revealed that in the opinions of 40 per cent of respondent (all below the poverty line), corruption and mal-practices in implementation of poverty alleviation programmes have declined due to RTI induced accountability of the Government and its functionaries at various levels. RTI route has generally been followed by a large number of people for resolving disputes between the parties on the issues pertaining to the decisions on administrative, business and commercial matters. Disclosure of information regarding the process of decision making or the grounds for action taken has helped resolve disputes on such issues as claim of refund of taxes paid by the individuals/companies, settlement of insurance claims, payment of dues of contractors, process of sanction and recovery of loans, etc. Since a reply is to be given within thirty days, disputes have been resolved faster than never before in the India’s history. A large number of grievances pertaining to service matters, mainly promotion and pension benefits have also been redressed due to openness and promptness in taking action on requests made under the RTI. 11 As a result, filing of appeals in the Courts has substantially declined, as reported, for instance, by the Oil Marketing Companies, which grant dealerships for distribution of petroleum products through retail outlets and domestic gas agencies. The Courts have also advised the petitioners to obtain information under the RTI before filing the cases before the Courts. It thus shows a strong and positive impact of RTI on transparency and accountability of the Government. 2.4. Reduction in Corruption The culture of secrecy, as known, encourages the government officials to indulge in corrupt practices, which result in lower investments due to misuse of power and diversion of funds for private purposes. As a result, the government’s social spending yields no worthwhile benefits, because, for instance, the teachers do not teach, doctors and nurses do not attend health centres, ration card holders do not receive subsidized food grains and, thus, livelihood support is denied, and the promised jobs are not provided to the poor, who are assured of income support. In the process, it perpetuates poverty and harms the poor. It creates an environment of distrust between the people and the government, which impinge upon the development and jeopardize democratic governance. Under the RTI regime, there is unprecedented transparency in the working of public departments. There is thus better understanding of the decision making process and greater accountability of government. This has led to reduction in corruption in the country as evident from the following: i) The Transparency International (TI) has reported that perceived corruption in India has declined, due mainly to the implementation of the RTI Act. This is evident from corruption reduction score of 3.4 (out of 10) in 2008, after an initial rise of 3.5 in 2007, compared to 2.99 in 2006, which indicate a decline in corruption to the extent of 15%. ii) The TI-CMS has recently accomplished an all India survey study of the poor below the poverty line. The views of the poor have been elicited in respect of all the flagship programmes that have been implemented for alleviation of poverty. At least 40 per cent of the respondents have reported that corruption has declined. iii) It has also been observed that wherever NGOs are actively involved in the development activities, the perceived corruption is abysmally low. 3. RTI and its Impact on Major Indicators of Development The challenge of development is to improve the quality of life, which calls for increasing people’s options for higher earnings, better education and health care, a cleaner environment and a richer cultural life. The record of long-term performance show that while there has been steady progress in improvement of the major indicators of development, the achievements fall far short of our expectations. At least, one third of our people suffer from all forms of deprivations, such as, inadequate livelihood support, lack of basis education and health care. 12 Of the various factors attributable to slow progress, lack of effective mechanisms for sharing information and knowledge and people’s participation in governance of development projects, is chiefly responsible. Since people’s participation in decision making process is essence of democracy, they have the right to access information held by the public bodies. In this backdrop, rights-based approach to development has proved to be very effective in realizing socio-economic goals, as this approach provides legal guarantee for realizing entitlements and promoting empowerment of people. And, the implementation of RTI provides a framework for promoting Citizen-Government participation in development process. People can access information held by the Government to develop an understanding as to how they are affected or how can they benefit from the programmes? While the Government has obligations to function in an open and transparent manner, people have right to observe and scrutinize decision making process, which forms the basis for seeking accountability of the Government. Of late, there has
For instance, disclosure of information relating to: i) attendance of staff in schools has helped in checking teachers’ absenteeism and students’ drop out; ii) attendance of doctors and nurses at primary health centres has led to improvement in health care facilities in rural areas; iii) the details of supplies and distribution of food grains through ration shops has assured the reach of entitlements to the beneficiaries; iv) the supply and demand for petroleum products, such as, domestic gas has reduced black marketing; v) muster rolls and beneficiary of employment guarantee schemes has exposed corruption and ensured effective delivery of services to the poor who are entitled for wage employment on demand for at least 100 days in a year @ Rs.60 – 80 per day, which means additional income of Rs.6000 – 8000 per year; and vi) allotment of retail outlets (petrol pumps) and agencies for distribution of LPG gas, including the registered beneficiaries has ensured fair play and objective decisions, as reflected from substantial reduction in litigation cases in the matter. The disclosure of the list of beneficiaries for income support like wage employment and subsidized food grains and subsidized services like domestic gas has helped in weeding out the fictitious names, resulting in better targeting of services to the poor. And, reduction in corruption due to checks on black -marketing of subsidized goods and services. As a result of increased Government’s accountability in delivery of services, rural to urban migration has, of late, decelerated, as widely reported in the media. This is also corroborated by the findings of a national level survey conducted by the Transparency International and the Centre for Media Studies. The survey has revealed that in the opinions of 40 per cent of respondent (all below the poverty line), corruption and mal-practices in implementation of poverty alleviation programmes have declined due to RTI induced accountability of the Government and its functionaries at various levels. RTI route has generally been followed by a large number of people for resolving disputes between the parties on the issues pertaining to the decisions on administrative, business and commercial matters. Disclosure of information regarding the process of decision making or the grounds for action taken has helped resolve disputes on such issues as claim of refund of taxes paid by the individuals/companies, settlement of insurance claims, payment of dues of contractors, process of sanction and recovery of loans, etc. Since a reply is to be given within thirty days, disputes have been resolved faster than never before in the India’s history. A large number of grievances pertaining to service matters, mainly promotion and pension benefits have also been redressed due to openness and promptness in taking action on requests made under the RTI. 11 As a result, filing of appeals in the Courts has substantially declined, as reported, for instance, by the Oil Marketing Companies, which grant dealerships for distribution of petroleum products through retail outlets and domestic gas agencies. The Courts have also advised the petitioners to obtain information under the RTI before filing the cases before the Courts. It thus shows a strong and positive impact of RTI on transparency and accountability of the Government. 2.4. Reduction in Corruption The culture of secrecy, as known, encourages the government officials to indulge in corrupt practices, which result in lower investments due to misuse of power and diversion of funds for private purposes. As a result, the government’s social spending yields no worthwhile benefits, because, for instance, the teachers do not teach, doctors and nurses do not attend health centres, ration card holders do not receive subsidized food grains and, thus, livelihood support is denied, and the promised jobs are not provided to the poor, who are assured of income support. In the process, it perpetuates poverty and harms the poor. It creates an environment of distrust between the people and the government, which impinge upon the development and jeopardize democratic governance. Under the RTI regime, there is unprecedented transparency in the working of public departments. There is thus better understanding of the decision making process and greater accountability of government. This has led to reduction in corruption in the country as evident from the following: i) The Transparency International (TI) has reported that perceived corruption in India has declined, due mainly to the implementation of the RTI Act. This is evident from corruption reduction score of 3.4 (out of 10) in 2008, after an initial rise of 3.5 in 2007, compared to 2.99 in 2006, which indicate a decline in corruption to the extent of 15%. ii) The TI-CMS has recently accomplished an all India survey study of the poor below the poverty line. The views of the poor have been elicited in respect of all the flagship programmes that have been implemented for alleviation of poverty. At least 40 per cent of the respondents have reported that corruption has declined. iii) It has also been observed that wherever NGOs are actively involved in the development activities, the perceived corruption is abysmally low. 3. RTI and its Impact on Major Indicators of Development The challenge of development is to improve the quality of life, which calls for increasing people’s options for higher earnings, better education and health care, a cleaner environment and a richer cultural life. The record of long-term performance show that while there has been steady progress in improvement of the major indicators of development, the achievements fall far short of our expectations. At least, one third of our people suffer from all forms of deprivations, such as, inadequate livelihood support, lack of basis education and health care. 12 Of the various factors attributable to slow progress, lack of effective mechanisms for sharing information and knowledge and people’s participation in governance of development projects, is chiefly responsible. Since people’s participation in decision making process is essence of democracy, they have the right to access information held by the public bodies. In this backdrop, rights-based approach to development has proved to be very effective in realizing socio-economic goals, as this approach provides legal guarantee for realizing entitlements and promoting empowerment of people. And, the implementation of RTI provides a framework for promoting Citizen-Government participation in development process. People can access information held by the Government to develop an understanding as to how they are affected or how can they benefit from the programmes? While the Government has obligations to function in an open and transparent manner, people have right to observe and scrutinize decision making process, which forms the basis for seeking accountability of the Government. Of late, there has
No comments:
Post a Comment