Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both.

-- James Madison

Want to know how much money was earmarked for repairing roads in KBK district, or how much money government allocates for your village medical? Now just ask the government and it is obliged to provide the answer of your question with in a specified time. In the age of information affluence, everyone is starving for information. It may be related to the family, village, town, district, state or nation. We have a custom to keep the essential information secretly. We have also a misconception that if we hide some relevant information from the public then the importance of that particular person relating to that particular issue is always been there. Those days are gone when everyone has tried to exercise power over each other by controlling access to information and knowledge. Now sharing of information is the main mantra of good governance. Transparency and good governance are parallel to each other. Transparency is nothing but the availability of information to the general public and clarity about government rules, regulations, and decisions. In a state like Orissa, the generators and very limited persons can access to any information, which should be disseminated among the citizens. That is main reason for the state to stand in the third position in the less developed states. Access to accurate and timely information about the economy and government policies can be vital for decision making on any issues by the citizens. On grounds of efficiency alone, such data should be freely and readily available to civil citizens.

From Official Secrets Act to Right to Information Act, we have covered a long journey with many ups and downs. After nearly a decade of hectic lobbying, we have won the hard-fought struggle for the freedom of Information. The campaign for entrenching the right to information in India were finally rewarded on 15 June 2005 with the President's assent to the Right to Information Act 2005. Now, it is the time to celebrate the occasion because the Right to Information became ‘fully functional’ from 12th October, 2005. This law, which places India among 55 countries in the world to have such legislation. The new law covers all central, state, local and panchayat government agencies; with the exception of those in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Let us think about the state which is known as ‘The Soul of India’, and is also known for its poverty, drought, starvation deaths, and violation of human rights and perpetuation of rampant corruption at all levels has not lagged behind in ensuring Right to Information to it’s people. Yes, the new law does not permit citizens to seek information on certain matters affecting security or strategic, scientific and economic interests of the country. In the same time, it gives the civil citizens the legal right to be informed about the utilization of public funds, progress reports of ongoing projects, state circulars, spending patterns, contracts etc. As far as the time frame is concerned, the authorities are required to answer to queries within 48 hours if it is a matter of life and liberty, else the public information officers (PIOs), appointed by different departments for this purpose can take 30 days from the date of application. The new law also provides for the establishment of Central Information Commissions as well as State Information Commissions throughout the country. The commissions will act as independent bodies to handle appeals and monitor implementation. If the public information officer fails to furnish information sought by the citizens with in specified time, then it will be in the powers of State Information Commission. The new Act also has severe penalties with monetary fines ranging from Rs 250 per day to maximum of Rs 25, 000.

As per the Act, the State Information Commission, the highest appellate authority was formed by the three-member committee

The Public Information Officer (PIO) after being satisfied with the identity of the applicant will intimate in form B the amount of cost for providing information required to be paid by the applicant in cash. For inspection of documents, applicants will have to pay Rs 15 per hour or fraction thereof. Typed copy or photocopy will cost Rs 5 per page where as print out from computer will cost Rs 10 per page. The amount will have to be paid in cash by the applicants. The cost of CD with cover has been fixed at Rs 100. Floppy diskette will also cost the same amount. The PIO will fix the cost taking into account the labour, material and equipment for maps and plans, videocassette, microfilm and certified sample of material.

However, request for information can be rejected by the PIO. The applicants can go for appeal against the decision of the PIO before the appellate authority appointed by the Government. A person aggrieved by the decision of the appellate authority can go for second appeal before the Information Commission. The applicant will have to pay court fee stamp of Rs 40 for the first appeal and court fee stamp of Rs 50 for the second. The Information and Public Relations Department will be nodal department while the Secretary of the Department will be the nodal officer.

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are considered to be powerful communication tools for this new law. Now the next step towards transparency is the e-governance. All the government departments should be connected through the innovational tools of information technology, which facilitate the exchange of information more accurately, swiftly, and without interruptions. The government departments and agencies use the digital information technology tools for such exchange. These tools help to disseminate the information pertaining to the government departments. The implanting of such tools in government serves two purposes, exchange of information among different departments and enhancing the efficiency of delivery system of the government. Now Orissa government is initiating various programmes to gear up the e-governance. The government has allocated 75 lakhs for establishing Kiosks in district head quarters. The government also plans to set up 3,000 kiosks at block headquarters during the period 2004-2007. These paperless citizen-centric information-processing centers help the citizens to acquire information from different sources within very short time. The states, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh made it possible to establish digital governance. Now Orissa government has to take all the necessary steps to launch e-government initiatives.

Transparency is the cornerstone of a true democracy. The doing and misdoings of the government has been swaddled in a shroud of secrecy. Right to Information is promulgated in the aim to build a transparent and corruption free society. The main intention is to enable the common citizen, to question the functioning of government departments and agencies. In a state like Orissa, where the literacy rate is very low, the public participation in any issue is very minimal; do you think this law makes any difference?

The author is a media researcher in Journalism Department of ICFAI University. He has five years experience in electronic media in the field of Public Relations and Media Relations. His qualifications include a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, had special paper Advertising and Public Relations.

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