The Manipur government has provided 100 per cent of the information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act during 2019-2020, chief information commissioner of Manipur Information Commission, Oinam Sunil Singh said on Thursday.
Singh was delivering his speech as the chief guest during a ‘One-Day Awareness Programme on RTI Act, 2005’ organised by Manipur Information Commission at Wangkhei Pujah Lampak, Imphal. He claimed that the Manipur Information Commission received around 200-300 cases per year and takes only around two months to dispose of a case.
The official said the state tops in the performance list of the information commissions of the Northeast states leaving Assam in second place.
In the last one-two years, disciplinary action has been recommended against three state government officials by the Commission and it had directed many officials to provide compensation for declining to give information sought under RTI, he said.
Sunil said that RTI is a pro-people act and an effective tool in bringing transparency and good governance in a society like Manipur where corruption is rampant.
Frequently seeking information through RTI can bring more transparency and the utilisation of government funds of any projects or developmental works, he added.
RTI was first enacted by the Sweden Parliament in 1766 to give access to information held by the rulers of those days; however, RTI was passed by the India government and fully came into force in 2005 after following numerous demands from NGOs, said the chief information commissioner.
State information commissioner of Manipur Information Commission Soibam Ibomcha Singh also attended the function as president.
