Digital India? Gujarat behind Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, "fails to create" online RTI portal

Jadeja

By A Representative
Failure of the Gujarat government to create an online portal to file right to information (RTI) applications as it exists for the Government of India for the last four years has started becoming a major issue with the state’s top activists, who have started a sustained campaign for it, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong support to online payment following demonetization.
At least two senior activists – Shailendrasinh Jadeja and Kirit Rathod – have written separate letters to the Gujarat chief minister to ensure create a sustainable mechanism in all the departments across the state to obtain online RTI applications, and electronically send replies.
Jadeja of Seva Foundation, Rajkot, has in a letter to the CM claimed that while Modi has “relentlessly tried for the inclusive development of Gujarat in a most transparent way”, which has led to “consistent, reliable results”, his home state has failed to make headway in the concept of “digital India” for e-governance.
“Modi conceptualized Digital India for e-governance to ease administration in a people-friendly mode”, says Jadeja’s letter, adding, “States like Odisha, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have already taken a leap forward for giving the replies in electronics form to the people through Online RTI Portal for RTI.”
While, he insists, this has “reduced” paper work substantially and speed of getting and giving the information in other states, quickening up payments received for RTI pleas, there is reason to wonder, “Where is Gujarat – the fastest developing state, in initiating an online portal?”
In a separate letter sent to Modi, Jadeja urges Modi to “give order to the state government to start an online RTI portal”, sending out messages on the social media and via email, to begin a sustained campaign for this.

Rathod

“You can do this by sending your name, mobile No, name of the city and email address on 09825197973, 09825465556 in the form of SMS or WhatsApp, or send an email on sevafoundationtrust@gmail.com” or “write on http://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/interact-with-honble-pm” he adds.
“The sole purpose behind this movement is to embark upon the government to bring all is offices under one umbrella so that every citizen of the state can avail the e-information from the online RTI portal”, adds Rathod of the Dalit Adhikar Andolan Samiti in his letter to the Gujarat chief minister, adding, “It seems the state government is drifting away in the Prime Minister’s Digital India.”
Both Jadeja and Rathod refer, in this context, refer to a letter written by secretary, department of personnel and training, Government of India, SK Sarkar, on December 3, 2013, to the Gujarat chief secretary, urging the latter to launch a web portal named RTI Online on lines of the Government of India for all ministries and departments.
At the Centre, he says, there is a facility for online filing of RTI applications/first appeals and also for online payment of RTI fees, adding, the replies to RTI applications/first appeals can also be given online. This web portal has been designed and developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Pointing out that NIC has been asked to “provide technical support such as software ad source code to the state governments who desire to replicate the web portal on online filing of RTI applications at state level”, the letter adds, just as for the Centre, the State Bank of India (SBI) has been asked to create a payments gateway for state RTI online portals.

Comments

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta* India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Search This Blog