Imphal, February 15, 2010: State Information Commissioner Ch Birendra has called for changing the mindset of the Government employees so that the public could have access to adequate information.

Speaking as chief guest of the Ist Citizen Authority RTI Interface on Right to Food organised by Macha Leima RTI Apunba Nupi Lup at State Guest House here today, Birendra observed that in order to ensure that public can have access to adequate information the existing mindset of the Government employees need to be changed.

Pointing out that many of the Government employees are unwilling to share information with the Government and some of them even take money from the information seekers, the State Information Commissioner noted that changing this mindset would also help in reducing incident of confrontation between the State Public Information Officers and the information seekers.

Along with that, the Government employees should also understand the RTI Act and its provisions, he added.

Earlier delivering the key note address, co-ordinator of Macha Leima RTI Campaign Nongthombam Gunileima explained that the interface has been organised with the main objective of providing an opportunity for joint understanding of the problems existing between the SPIOs and the RTI applicants.

Informing that so far 33 RTI women groups have been formed under the initiative of Macha Leima and have a total of 438 members at Gram Panchayat, Nagar Panchayat and Municipality wards, Gunileima said 201 applications have been filed through SPIOs out of which 125 applications have been brought to the knowledge of the Information Commission after the SPIOs concerned failed to take up necessary action.

While observing that the informations being sought are not provided in time, she informed the gathering that in such cases, the Information Commission can direct the SPIOs to pay compensation to the applicant for wasting the latter's time and energy.

In this manner, 14 members of the RTI women group have been compensated Rs 91,000 while the Commission has ordered payment of Rs 51,000 as compensation to another 10 members, she disclosed.

Faculty member of State Academy of Training Ch Narendra and Secretary to the Governor RK Nimai attended the programme as functional president and guest of honour respectively.

In the technical session of the interface, discussion on the problems being faced between the SPIOs and RTI activists was held with RK Nimai as moderator.

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