Transparency must become default mode of governance: Ex-CIC

Transparency in administration is a necessary prerequisite for realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of 'Digital Governance' in the country, former Central Information Commissioner (CIC) Shailesh Gandhi today said.
He termed 'Digital India' campaign, a pet project of the Modi Government, as "expensive" and "with no real benefits".
It was the issue of transparency over which Modi ought to do something in a time-bound manner first. Addressing this issue would "ultimately pave the way" for his dream coming true to bring 'Digital Governance' in the country, he said.
"Digitisation involves scanning all earlier files and sometimes even the files after they are closed. This has no real benefit and is an expense exercise. Accountability to citizens cannot be achieved unless transparency is built into our governance as a default mode."

Gandhi, who pronounced several landmark judgements in his four-year tenure (2008-2012) as CIC, said, "When a citizen goes to any office for some work, he is often told that the relevant file is unavailable. If he pays a bribe it becomes available. A significant percentage of corruption and inefficiency is a consequence of this method of keeping paper files."
"If all work was done on computers and each day the default mode was that it would be displayed on the website, there could be a sea change in our governance. Only some information, which is thought to be exempt under the RTI Act, should not go on the website," said the noted RTI activist.

"If Parliament proceedings can be telecast live, there is no reason why our executive brand cannot function in a transparent manner. Only with transparency can there be hope of accountability."
Sharing his experiences, Gandhi said, "The corrupt obviously dislikes transparency, whereas the honest has the arrogance of believing they know best.