Hyderabad: Telangana minister for Information Technology, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, swiftly addressed a long-standing concern by signing files related to the creation of an online platform for filing RTI (Right to Information) applications, on Friday, December 15.
This move comes amid demands for greater accountability and transparency within government departments, aimed at uncovering irregularities in the government sector.
Upon assuming office, Sridhar Babu prioritized key initiatives, including the widespread adoption of digital technologies across all government departments and agencies. The objective is to enhance public service delivery and improve overall departmental efficiency through the utilization of digital tools.
To kickstart this initiative, an immediate assessment will be conducted to evaluate the preparedness of all departments and identify opportunities for the strategic implementation of digital technologies.
He also formulated an exclusive policy for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Additionally, plans are underway to establish an institutional mechanism for providing support and guidance to MSMEs across the state.
During the previous regime, of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, activists criticised the government over its ambiguous functioning with no no annual reports, no information commissioners and no online portal for filing RTIs.
Despite a High Court order to build an online RTI filing portal, the BRS government completely ignored the direction.
Activists and advocates had been approaching the High Court demanding an online RTI portal for years and the IT Department had been replying positively, that they would get the portal ready as early as possible.
In May 2022, an RTI by Kareem Ansari of YouRTI.in disclosed the portal is ready and is being tested with a few departments before it is made available to the public. However, there has been no portal for the public to access.
The IT department did put some effort into publishing open data by launching a new initiative with an open data portal and policy accessible. Although this was a proactive effort, this was not been extended in practice across departments where data, algorithms and other digital resources, could be demanded, as defined under section 2(f) of the RTI Act. “With every form of governance digitised, it should be our right to demand information as already allowed under the RTI Act,” said Data activist Srinivas Kodali.
