CIC firm on nodal officers

In its reply,the CIC took exception to the DoPTs objection that the suggestion to appoint these officers was innocuous at this stage.

Despite the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) objections,the Central Information Commission (CIC) is unwilling to soften its stand on the appointment of transparency officers in each ministry and public department for the effective implementation of RTI Act.

The CIC insists the government must rise above technicalities and appoint these officers who will act as a single nodal point for initiating changes to bring in more transparency and accountability envisaged in the Act.

Conveying its decision to the government,the commission said: The appointment of transparency officers will pave the way for the public authorities to bring in systematic changes in their working.

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In its reply,the CIC took exception to the DoPTs objection that the suggestion to appoint these officers was innocuous at this stage.

The CIC in its full bench meeting in November 2010 had desired that the government designate one senior officer as transparency officer who will be the interface for the commission and oversee implementation of Section 4.

Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said there is tardy implementation of Section 4 despite that fact that the RTI Act is more than five years old.

Raising the red flag,the DoPT had said the appointment of such officers had the potential to create a new bureaucracy within ministries/ public authorities but the CIC brushed aside the objections.

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We see no reason to change our view. Our intention was not technical and the government must not get into technicalities and should focus on earnest implementation of Section 4 and appoint transparency officers, Mishra said.