Soon the information on the country's flora, fauna, bioshpere and the evaluation report to see if the money spend is actually helping the cause will be available at the click of a mouse away.
Soon the information on the country's flora, fauna, bioshpere and the evaluation report to see if the money spend is actually helping the cause will be available at the click of a mouse away. And not just that, if there are more complaints that seek implementation of the section 4 of the RTI Act, many more details that are now sought through applications may not have to be filed.
The Central Information Commissioner, Shailesh Gandhi has ordered in its Septermber 15, 2011 order that the Ministry of Environment and Forest to voluntarily disclose the information available on it.
The order comes after a complaint was filed with the CIC stating that the ministry put up such information under section 4 of the RTI Act. The application was filed by Delhi based Ankur Goyal who wanted information on the same on the ministry website. However, failing to get the list of national parks, reserves, endangered flora and fauna and the evaluation report of the money spent on their upkeep, he filed a complaint with the commission.
In his order, the commissioner states that "The act envisions that all citizens shall receive information primarily by suo moto disclosures by various public authorities as prescribed by section (4) of the act. Disclosures in accordance with the said Section are crucial to ensure transparency and accountability in institutions. This would reduce the load of RTI Applications being filed with each institution as information would be freely available to citizens and they would not have to apply for it. It further envisages that citizens would be required to specifically ask for information under section (6) only in a few cases."
Hence the order directs the ministry to put up information on the biosphere reserves which have been uploaded now shall be updated once every year, details on the endangered flora and fauna in the Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks and Zoo’s to be published on the website before 1st January 2012 and the “Management Effective Evaluation” reports (whichever is complete) that asses the impact of the funds spent be published on the website of the Ministry before 1st November 2011.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}