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State
Level RTI: Goa
Law
The
Goa
Right to Information Act 1997 was the second right to information law enacted in India, after Tamil Nadu. It was passed on 31 July 1997 and received Governor's assent on 29 October 1997. It is notable that the development of the law was the result of Government initiative and not a civil society campaign. However, while the Government was responsible for initiating the Bill, civil society, led by the Goa Union of Journalists, was active in responding to the shortcomings in the Act as initially passed. Journalists protested in the Assembly against penal provisions they feared could be used against the Press. Consequently, the objectionable provisions were amended by the Government soon after the initial enactment of the law.
In
May 2005, the national Right to Information Act 2005 was passed
by Parliament. The RTI Act 2005 received Presidential assent on
15 June and came fully into force on 12 October 2005. (For more
information on the passage of the Act and implementation at the
national level, click here.) The RTI Act 2005 covers all Central,
State and local government bodies and will apply to public authorities
in Goa.
It
is not clear at this time whether the Goa Right to Information
Act 2002 will be repealed. Notably though, the Goa Government
has started implementing the RTI Act 2005. The Government issued the Goa Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2006.
For
a list of Public Information Officers and Appellate Authorities
designated by the State Government, click here.
Details
of Fee & Costs
| Application
|
Rs
10 |
| Mode
of payment |
Cash
against receipt /demand draft/ bank cheque. |
| Additional
Fees: |
|
A-4
/ A-3 paper created or copied |
Rs
2 per page |
Printed
Publication |
Price
so fixed or Rs 2 per page of photocopy for extracts |
Large
size paper |
Actual
cost |
Floppy/diskette |
Rs
50 |
Sample,
models |
Actual
cost |
Inspection
of records |
First
hour free, Rs 5 for each subsequent hour or a fraction thereof |
Second
Appeals and complaints against non-disclosure of information may
be filed with the Goa State Information Commission.
State
Information Commission
| S.N. |
Name
of Commissioner |
Contact
|
| |
Shri.
A Venkat Ratnam
State Chief Information Commissioner |
Sharma
Shakti Bhavan (Ground Floor)
Patto Plaza, Panaji - 403001,
GOA
Off: 0832-2437880
Mobile: 09860287282
Email: avr@nic.in
Website: http://goasic.gov.in
|
Newsupdates, Activities & Advocacy
- The Goa Government has issued Fee
and Appeal
Rules under the RTI Act 2005 setting in place the procedures
for filing applications and appeals with various departments of
the government.
- The Goa
Cabinet has approved the setting up of a State Information Commission
under the RTI Act 2005. The Chief Minister told media persons
the process would begin from 12 October 2005. He said the State
Government was awaiting the finalisation of rules and regulations
for setting up the commission from the Centre.
- The Goa
Government has taken some initial steps to prepare for implementation
of the Central Right to Information Act 2005. A high level
meeting was called in the State, chaired by the Chief Secretary,
Ms. Kiran Dhingra to discuss the modalities to be adopted for
the Act's implementation. It was reported I the media that the
meeting took into account the earlier preparations made by departments
for implementation of the Goa RTI Act. It was decided to authorise
heads and deputy heads of departments to act as PIOs and APIOs.
The Goverment is also considering empowering Secretaries to act
as the first Appellate Authority.
Resources
& Articles
Government
CHRI
- CHRI (2005) Forwarding Information Requests and
Appeals: A Step by Step Guide for Assistant Public Information
Officers under the Right to Information Act 2005, prepared by
Mr Venkatesh Nayak.
- CHRI (2005) Processing Information Requests:
A Step by Step Guide for Assistant Public Information Officers
under the Right to Information Act 2005, prepared by Mr Venkatesh
Nayak.
Miscellaneous
- Staff Reporter (2005) Goa
Cabinet Approves Setting Up of State Information Comm, 11
October, UNI.
- Staff Reporter (2005) Goa
to Implement Central Right to Information Act, 3 October,
Herald.
- Staff Reporter (2005) Govt.
Gearing Up To Enforce the Right to Information Act 2005, 11
July, Navhind Times.
- Frederick Noronha & Albertina Almeida (2004)
Ten
mysteries about Goa's Right to Information law.
- Staff reporter (2003) Goa's
RTI law has too many loopholes: experts, 17 December, Indo-Asian
News Service.
- Herald Reporter (2003) One
Of The Pioneers In RTI, But Loopholes Remain, 15 December.
- Ians (2003) Goa
to revive right to information law, 22 February, Times
of India.
- Frederick Noronha (2003) Goa
Right to Information Act gets some attention from the government,
21 February, The Indo-Asian News Service.
- Vidyut Kumar Ta (2000) Goa
struggles for Right to Information, 24 May, Times of India.
- Robert Jenkins and Anne Marie Goetz (1999),
The Goa Right To Information Act: One Year On, Transparency.
- Frederick Noronha (undated) Perils
of power that comes from knowing: Goa's little-noticed experiences
with the right to information.
- Frederick Noronha (undated) Loopholes
in the Goa Right to Information Act.
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