THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that there should be reasonable restrictions on divulging the details of cabinet decisions as per the Right to Information Act. Citing the restrictions imposed by the centre on releasing the details of cabinet decisions, the chief minister said that some of the decisions may lose their purpose if the decisions were made public before implementation. The misuse of RTI Act for personal gains was also becoming rampant, said Mr. Vijayan while inaugurating a workshop on RTI Act organised by the State Information Commission here on Friday.
It may be recalled that the state has witnessed a row over the government’s refusal to divulge cabinet decisions under the RTI Act. Though the Information Commission ordered to divulge the details, the state government had challenged it in the High Court. RTI activist D.B. Binu had sought information regarding cabinet decisions taken during the last months of the UDF government. The chief minister also said that the RTI Act could be used effectively to curb corruption. He also said that the government would expedite steps to fill the vacancies of State Information Commission members and to strengthen the commission.
Chief Information Commissioner Vinson M. Paul lamented that many government officials were trying to torpedo the spirit of the RTI Act by deliberately delaying information. "Many officials used to give the reply on the 30th day after receiving application with the purpose of delaying the process," he said. He also suggested that the topics on RTI Act should be made mandatory for government examinations. The fee payment process for getting information under the RTI Act also should be streamlined, said Mr. Paul. Chief Secretary S. M. Vijayanad and Additional Chief Secretary (General Administration) Sheela Thomas were among those who spoke at the workshop.
