Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f0ff35f1f9a-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

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	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in..."/>
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                <strong>Curious case of missing RTI commissioners -Christin Mathew Philip</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br /><br />Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br /><br />According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br /><br />The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br /><br />The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br /><br />Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br /><br />&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br /><br />Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br /><br />Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br /><br />It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br /><br />Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br /><br />Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br /><br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
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CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

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	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

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                <strong>Curious case of missing RTI commissioners -Christin Mathew Philip</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br /><br />Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br /><br />According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br /><br />The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br /><br />The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br /><br />Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br /><br />&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br /><br />Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br /><br />Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br /><br />It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br /><br />Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br /><br />Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br /><br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
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CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;CHENNAI: &lt;/em&gt;The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &amp;quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&amp;quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &amp;quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&amp;quot; the report said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It adds, &amp;quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &amp;quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in...&#039;
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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in..."/>
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                <strong>Curious case of missing RTI commissioners -Christin Mathew Philip</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br /><br />Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br /><br />According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br /><br />The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br /><br />The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br /><br />Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br /><br />&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br /><br />Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br /><br />Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br /><br />It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br /><br />Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br /><br />Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br /><br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India<br />
<br />
<em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br />
<br />
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br />
<br />
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br />
<br />
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br />
<br />
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br />
<br />
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br />
<br />
&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br />
<br />
It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br />
<br />
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br />
<br />
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br />
<br />
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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br /><br />Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br /><br />According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br /><br />The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br /><br />The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br /><br />Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br /><br />&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br /><br />Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br /><br />Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br /><br />It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br /><br />Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br /><br />Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br /><br /></div>',
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	'title' => 'Curious case of missing RTI commissioners -Christin Mathew Philip',
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-The Times of India<br />
<br />
<em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br />
<br />
Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br />
<br />
According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br />
<br />
The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br />
<br />
The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br />
<br />
Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br />
<br />
&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br />
<br />
It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br />
<br />
Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br />
<br />
Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br />
<br />
</div>',
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-The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.

Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>CHENNAI: </em>The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant.<br /><br />Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO.<br /><br />According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each).<br /><br />The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC).<br /><br />The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners.<br /><br />Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations.<br /><br />&quot;Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court,&quot; he said.<br /><br />Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, &quot;The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.&quot; But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak.<br /><br />Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. &quot;Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand,&quot; the report said.<br /><br />It adds, &quot;Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning.&quot;<br /><br />Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission.<br /><br />Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. &quot;Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations.&quot;<br /><br /></div>'
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Curious case of missing RTI commissioners -Christin Mathew Philip

-The Times of India CHENNAI: The Right to Information (RTI) is turning into an increasingly opaque idea as more posts of the information commissioner are falling vacant. Vacancies for the post in the country increased from 14% in 2014 to 20% in 2015, reveals a nation-wide study conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an NGO. According to the report, the number of information commissioners in the country has been reduced from 120 in 2014 to 111 now. The office of state information commission (SIC) in Jharkhand has the maximum number of vacancies (four) followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (three each). The study has found four SICs - Tamil Nadu, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand - continue to be headless as the governments are yet to appoint a new chief information commissioner (CIC). The total pendency of second appeals and complaints before SICs in 16 states has crossed 1.75 lakh, mainly due to delay in the appointment of information commissioners. Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI said there are serious attempts by the governments to tamper with the objectives of RTI Act which is meant for better transparency. He says 76% of the CICs are retired IAS officers, despite a 2013 Supreme Court order that all states must include candidates with other specialisations. "Nearly 60% (35 of 59) of the information commissioners appointed after the Supreme Court order are from All India Services, and a few from the state civil services. This proportion is less than half (46%) in 2014. This shows governments are not following the direction of the apex court," he said. Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act states, "The state chief information commissioner and the state information commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology , social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance." But most governments appoint retired IAS who they find favourable during their service, said Nayak. Interestingly, information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh is a former president of the Arunachal Weightlifting Federation. "Given the much lighter load of second appeals and complaints filed before the SIC in Arunachal Pradesh compared to other states, the choice of a weightlifter, disregarding the fields of knowledge and experience listed under Section 15 (5) of the RTI Act is difficult to understand," the report said. It adds, "Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat no other SIC has made the effort to launch a bilingual website for the convenience of the residents of the state in which it is functioning." Only 20% (6 of 29) of information commissioners including CIC and the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Tripura and Uttarakhand have provided online facilities for submitting appeals or complaints for the applicants. About 31% of SICs including those in Tamil Nadu have not disclosed their budgetary details on the website. Only 12.6% of information commissioners (11 out of 87) serving across the country are women.TN has one woman member in the commission. Nayak said authorities should increase the representation of women in the information commissions. "Government must also look for the track record of serving or retired civil servants who are considered for the post of information commissioner. Such officers must not be considered for appointment unless they have a demonstrable record of promoting greater transparency and accountability in such organisations."