Put info about money received under relief funds to fight COVID-19 in public domain: NGO to CIC

Information about money received under various relief funds to fight COVID-19, including the newly constituted PM-CARES Fund, and its disbursal should be proactively put in the public domain for scrutiny, a voluntary organisation said in a letter to the chief information commissioner (CIC) on Sunday.

'Satark Nagrik Sangathan' said for millions of people, government schemes and programs related to food distribution, health care, disbursal of wages and pensions are the only lifelines at a time when there has been large scale and sudden loss of livelihood.

"Transparency in the functioning of these programs is key to ensure that people are able to access their rights," it said in a letter to CIC Bimal Julka.

The organisation said in order to cope with the crisis, it is crucial that all relevant information related to relief measures announced by the Centre and state governments be widely disseminated.

"Without transparency, these measures are unlikely to be successful," the letter from activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri on behalf of 'Satark Nagrik Sangathan' said.

In the letter, the activists urged the transparency watchdog to ensure that information must be made available on government websites and widely disseminated through SMS, WhatsApp, public announcements and at points of disbursal such as ration shops, banks, hospitals, etc. because of restrictions on people's mobility during the lockdown.

"Information about money received and disbursed under various relief funds, including the PM CARES fund and the Lt. Governor/Chief Minister Relief Fund, must also be pro-actively disclosed to enable public scrutiny.

Effective dissemination of relevant information is essential to ensure money is spent on the most pressing priority needs during the current crisis," the letter said.

Section 4 of the Right to Information Act mandates the government to proactively put as much information in the public domain as possible to increase transparency.

The activists appreciated the commission for conducting hearings pertaining to pending RTI appeals and complaints during the lockdown period through audio and video-conferencing.

"During the period of the lockdown, we urge you to prioritise cases dealing with information related to life and liberty of citizens, especially matters regarding food distribution, social security, health and COVID 19-related matters. These appeals and complaints must be taken up first in a time-bound manner by the CIC for hearing and disposal," they said.

The RTI Act clause pertaining to life and liberty asks a public authority to disclose information within 48 hours.