MP govt seeks response from over 100 MNCs on RTI query seeking details of investment proposals

The Madhya Pradesh government has asked over 100 multi-national companies and other private firms whether details of their investment proposals can be made public, according to official documents.

The move comes after social activist Ajay Dubey filed an RTI query seeking details from the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) of the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee for Investment Promotion (CCIP), headed by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, on promotion of investment in the state.

The activist also sought details of implementation of CCIP decisions clearing investment proposals of private companies.

"The proceedings of CCIP and decisions taken therein must be available online for the people. The government should proactively share details of investment made by companies in the state and other steps being taken by it to promote investment," Dubey told PTI.

Following this, the MPIDC, a state government undertaking, wrote to around 120 companies, including MNCs like Reliance Land Systems Ltd, ITC Ltd, HEG Ltd, Procter and Gamble Home Products Ltd, asking them whether the details sought in the RTI application can be made public, according to the official documents.

Since the details sought pertain to "third party information", the companies concerned have been asked to give their approval or disapproval on sharing the details and their replies are awaited, the MPIDC said in its response to Dubey's RTI query.

The corporation further said copies of CCIP orders from 2019 onwards have been put up on its website "invest.mp.gov.in".

The process of uploading the decisions of the previous years is on, it added.