Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards enhancing transparency, the Odisha government has directed all public authorities to disclose additional categories of information, such as foreign tours undertaken by the Chief Minister and ministers, within three days.
The details will be provided in both Odia and English as part of suo motu (voluntary) disclosures under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, aligning with central guidelines.
Debabrata Mallick, Additional Secretary and RTI nodal officer in the General Administration Department, issued a letter to Public Information Officers (PIOs) instructing them to voluntarily share information on eight new points. These include transfer policies and orders, government procurement, public-private partnerships (PPPs), RTI applications received and their status, audit objections, citizen charters, discretionary and non-discretionary grants, and foreign tours of the CM and ministers.
Until now, citizens had to file formal RTI applications to access such details. Public authorities were already required to publish 16 categories of information under Section 4 of the RTI Act, covering aspects like organisational structure, functions and powers of officers, decision-making processes, rules, manuals, budgets, subsidies, beneficiaries, and details of PIOs. The state government has now expanded this list by adding the eight new categories.
RTI activists have welcomed the initiative but expressed concerns over effective implementation.
