Complaint against wasteful expenditure on coffee table book by CIC

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is engaged in taking steps to curb corruption, many agencies are involved in encouraging corrupt practices. Wasteful expenditure of public money to impress authorities is also corruption. Recently a coffee table book on success stories of Right to Information “Trust Through Transparency” was unveiled at central information commission’s (CIC ) annual Convention. CIC has spent more than 17 lakh rupees on that book, but only 6 copies of the book were ready at the unveiling function. 

Copies of the book could not be distributed amongst Information commissioners or other participants present at the Convention for the reasons best known to CIC only. However, a soft copy of the book was published on the CIC web site on the same day. Big question is where was the need to print the book at an exorbitant cost of Rs. 17 lakhs when it was to be published on line? This is complete waste of public funds because the only purpose served was to uplift the image of the Chief Information Commissioner.

Normally coffee table book is an oversize, large, expensive book with a lot of pictures, intended to be looked at rather than read. As mentioned in book itself it was printed for limited circulation and academic purpose only. However coffee table books are not meant for academic purpose.

As well as per the press and registration of books act, 1867, every book or paper printed within India must have printed legibly on it the name of the printer and the place of printing. The coffee table book does not mention any of it. The book was unveiled at the hands of union home minister

Over 800 copies of the book are​ ​now being sent to the CIC by Yashavantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) from Pune.​​ ​Transportation will cost about Rs. 8000 by rail. However, copies of the book now to be sent (If at all sent) to individual dignitaries from Delhi by any mode will cost over Rs. 4 lakhs, thus making the total cost of the project at over Rs. 21 lakhs. Despatching the book of just 124 pages but costing over​ Rs. 1700 ​ ​per copy and weighing over a 1.6 kilo will thus put additional burden on the finances.

Although the stories published in this Coffee Table book are no doubt ​​inspirational. ​Spending  ​Rs. ​21 lakhs on this project, especially when book is available online is complete waste of resources and funds.

In nut shell, CIC​ ​in collaboration with YASHADA​ ​has wasted Rs. 17 lakhs of public money because it has not turned out to be cost effective .Therefore, Major general (retd) SCN jatar and this writer from Pune have   requested Prime minister Narendra Modi to recover this money from the officials of CIC who approved this expenditure. 

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Anger in police department over Unequal allocation of duties and victimization of whistle blowers inside

Making good good laws can not serve the purpose, there are several such laws In India but have become useless due to lack of proper implementation. Hence entire governance system has become defunct. There was hope that Right to Information Act (RTI) will help reduce corruption and improve governance but it didn’t happen. Many people who brought to light irregularities through RTI had to loose their lives or compelled to face the music. 

Hence there was a demand of a law to protect such whistle blowers, it was paid heed and whistleblower protection act came in to existence, though rules to this act are yet to be formed. This act was supposed to protect persons including public servant making a public interest disclosure related to an act of corruption, misuse of power, or criminal offence by a public servant.

To protect such whistle blowers there are three major provisions in whistle blower act

a) Government has to ensure that no person or a public servant who has made a disclosure under this Act is victimized by initiation of any proceedings or otherwise merely on the ground that such person or a public servant had made a disclosure or rendered assistance in inquiry under this Act.

b) The Head of the organization or office concerned shall not directly or indirectly reveal the identity of the complainant or public servant who made the disclosure.

c)If any person is being victimized or likely to be victimized on the ground that he had filed a complaint or made disclosure or rendered assistance in inquiry under this Act, he may file an application before the Competent Authority seeking redress in the matter,

Picture courtesy http://www.livelaw.in 

There was a hope that large number persons inside the system will come forward to to bring irregularities in their own department. But it didn’t happen, because till today our system hasn’t matured enough to take it positively if any public servant brings to light some irregularities of his/her own department.

For example a lady constable in Maharashtra police department took a training of Right to Information act from Yashada. As a part of training she was asked to have inspection of information disclosed under section 4 of RTI act of any public authority and give a gradation. The lady had a inspection of her own department and gave “D” i. e worst gradation because compliance u/s section 4 of the department was not up to the mark. Not only that in good faith she also reported this thing to highest officer of the department, and informed them that she will inspect the office once again after a month. As the lady had already brought some irregularities out through RTI, seniors took this letter as a insult to them. They sent her show cause notice and penalized her with fine of 110 rupees for alleged indiscipline.

There may be truth in allegations of abusive language by the the lady constable. There are some rules and regulation of departments, that are to be followed by by the servants and in department like police those are very strict have to be followed. Hence fine imposed upon lady constable can be justifiable. But in this case police obeyed their rules but what about RTI and whistleblower act, did they follow it? , did the information related to section 4 comply with? Did they take any action on irregularities exposed by lady constable? The answer is “no”?

There is lot of anger in police department over Unequal allocation of dities and subsequently irregularities and injustice due to it. Hence they are demanding dissemination of duty chart since many days. They tried to obtain about it through RTI but failed. Ae well there is long pending demand implementation of recommendations made in various  report on police reforms .But nobody paid heed to their demands hence some people tried RTI rout, due which some irregularities came to light. But obviously senior felt unhappy because this move was straight attack on their inefficiency. Hence they are victimizing junior level staff under the garb of departmental discipline. Now question before such staff is whether to bend before departmental discipline or to fight against injustice with help of RTI and whistleblower act.

Image courtesy  http://puputupu.blogspot.in/

In this case as this lady constable has brought many irregularities of the department to the light police department has sent has several show cause notices to her. In such scenario to whom she should go for protection and justice?. It’s sure that her own department is not ready to help her and there is no competent authority appointed under whistle blower act.

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RTI KATTA  

RTI KATTA is a platform to empower oneself through discussions amongst each other to solve their problems by using Right to Information act, Every Sunday at Chittaranjan Watika, Model Colony,Shivaji nagar, Pune, between 9.30 to 10.30 A.M.

Vijay Kumbhar

RTI Resource Person, RTI Columnist

Phone – 9923299199

Email – kvijay14@gmail.com

Website – www.surajya.org

facebook.com/kvijay14

Twitter.com/kvijay14