Hindrances have increased in filing RTI applications after reorganization of J&amp;K

Hindrances have increased in filing RTI applications after reorganization of J&K

Marking the International Day for Access to Information, J&K RTI Foundation discussed weakness of RTI Act in J&K. A note:

***

On the occasion of International Day for Universal Access to Information, J&K RTI Foundation held an event on Zoom wherein top RTI Activists across the country participated actively and passed a resolution to knock doors of Lieutenant Governor’s Administration for awareness and implementation of the RTI Act in Jammu and Kashmir. The event was held in consonance with the UNESCO General Conference declaration in 2015 recognizing the significance of access to information and proclamation of 28 September of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
This year’s theme for the day was “Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance and Access to Information"; but J&K RTI Foundation deliberately discussed the sub-themes “Importance of Right to Information Law, Obstacles in Filing RTI Applications, Government’s Responsibility in Awareness of RTI Act and Accountability of Public Institutions”.
Speaking on the occasion, leading RTI Activist Karar Reshi said that the hindrances have increased in filing RTI Applications after reorganization of J&K because of non-availability of State Information Commission and low awareness of masses. He further emphasized that introduction of Central RTI Act 2005 has actually led to the disempowerment of already empowered people of J&K with J&K RTI Act 2009 which was repealed in October 2019.
Sajad Hussain, who is the first person in J&K to make officials conduct public hearings using J&K RTI Act in 2014, stressed on the responsibility of the government to conduct awareness programmes and promote RTI Act among public and the government officials. He raised the issue that “no programs have been held by the government after introduction of Central RTI Act 2005 even if it is the responsibility of the government as mentioned in the provisions of the law itself”.
Sheikh Maqbool who is the Spokesperson of J&K RTI Foundation threw light on the importance of public participation in transparency and accountability of public institutions. He emphasized that activists and the government are required to reinitiate the process of awareness of Central RTI Act 2005 like it was done earlier for the awareness of J&K RTI Act 2009.
The event was moderated by Irfan Ali Banka, who is the founder of J&K RTI Foundation and a research scholar. Irfan Ali Banka, based on his research, highlighted that as per the Annual Report 2020-21 of CIC only 7 (seven) Public Authorities in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir have submitted RTI Annual Return which is just 17.50% percentage compliance i.e. the least among the 94 Ministries/Independent Departments as given in the annual report. The average compliance is 95.91% and 68 ministries/independent departments show 100% compliance as per this report. This shows how low the compliance in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is even after the introduction of Central RTI Act 2005.
He further added that as on 26 September 2022, only around 850 cases have been decided at the CIC and the RTI Activists in J&K are saying that this is a very less number and the barriers like, distance, language; work culture and internet/connectivity are affecting the appellants very badly.
Since this year’s theme of the International Day for Universal Access to Information focussed upon using Artificial Intelligence and e-governance to improve access to information in this digital world, a resolution was passed to suggest the government to launch an RTI Portal for J&K and train the PIO’s and FAA’s and appoint at least one Information Commissioner from each of the divisions of the UT of J&K so that decisions could be arrived at properly.

Comments

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Search This Blog