Websites of all institutions, hospitals and offices should display Covid-related services offered by them: RTI Katta

MUMBAI: Given the rising RTI applications related to Covid across Maharashtra, RTI Katta, a forum of RTI activists, has appealed to the state RTI commissioner Sumit Mullick to direct all the government, semi-government, local body, public sector offices (including institutions notified, tied-up with or funded by the government) to put on their website entire information about covid-related services offered by them so far.
The Katta has given a set of points based on which they want all offices to display information on their respective websites. This according to them will not only reduce the rising number of applications but will also not affect the work of RTI commissioners who are already dealing with hundreds and thousands of cases that are already awaiting disposal.
"Many RTI applications are being filed with a request that information be provided within 48 hours on matters relating to Covid. In most cases the information is not provided and courts have also suggested that commissions hold urgent hearings on these. All that is being requested is that it be displayed on the website where citizens can access it," said SHailesh Gandhi led Katta in its letter to the commissioner.
The recent incidents of some offices denying information about insurance settlements citing the trade secret section of RTI has already angered the activists terming them a deliberate attempt to avoid transparency and keep people in the dark. Meanwhile, Mullick said similar initiatives have been taken in the past. "I will go through the letter by Katta and think of the future course of action in a day or two," he said when TOI pointed him out to large-scale sentiments among people asking for transparency in the information.
The information that is largely being sought, said Gandhi, was a list of hospitals and available beds (including the number of beds available for BPL in charitable hospitals) with classification such as oxygen beds, non-oxygen beds and ventilator beds, number of people admitted and dead in hospitals, stock of various life-saving medicines used in treating Covid and mucormycosis, and daily supply and use of stock of oxygen and various vaccines to hospitals and vaccination centers respectively.
Similarly, per day availability of various vaccines i.e. Covishield, Covexin, Sputnik, Pfizer etc. at all vaccination centers, daily and cumulative vaccinations by hospitals, and ward-wise or village-wise data of total population and percentage of vaccinated among them, number of insurance applications and settlements made, total amount from budget allocated fund spent on till date on medication and services, details of allocation on purchase of all vaccines till date, and projected date wise Supply Vs actual doses supplied are some of the other information points that can be used to display information in order to avoid RTI queries, said Gandhi pointing out that former state information commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad had taken some effective steps to tackle rising complaints and applications.