In a path-breaking judgment that could help maintain greater transparency in Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), the Orissa Information Commission has directed the state women and child development department to revisit the entire public disclosure database of the department and ensure proactive disclosure of information on a periodic basis.
The direction came following hearing of a case by information commissioner Pabira Behera who, under the Right to Information Act, had sought records on maintenance of records relating to distribution of food materials at an anganwadi centre in Gedipalli Patna under Bolgarh police limit in Khurda district.
“On careful appraisal of the facts on record vis-à-vis the written submission of the public information officer (PIO), it is observed that the information sought by the complainant broadly relates to the food entitlements and other benefits of the beneficiaries under the Government of India sponsored ICDS project. To meet the ends of justice, the PIO is directed to invite the complainant to the public authority (concerned department) fixing a date on a working day during office hours with prior intimation, enable him access to the relevant records to satisfy his complete information need,” information commissioner Jagadananda, in a recent order, said.
The commissioner observed that “the public authority has not yet taken steps for creating a database covering all the fronts of its operation for ensuring its proactive disclosure under Section 4 (1) (b) of the act.” “The types of information that are most often sought for, if proactively made available, filing of RTI applications on this score will come down, ensuring the citizens’ fundamental rights to information,” the Information Commissioner said in his order.
It has also been observed that most often RTI applications are filed related to unattended grievances that the public have had with the public authority.