newsletter 102

A newsletter containing news

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A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of

Right to Information

From

Around the World

Issue No: 102

E - Alert

Issue Date: 08-06-2015

 

 

Editorial:

Greetings from Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, (CPDI).

CPDI is engaged with governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa impressing upon them to remove factors that hamper implementation of RTI laws in these provinces. Notwithstanding the overriding powers of these RTI laws, West Pakistan Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1966, Rules of Business and other such laws contain provisions contrary to the spirit of these laws and have the potential to be used to discourage citizens to exercise their right to information.  Especially, Sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013 respectively pertaining to the proactive disclosure of information will only be implemented when the sharing of the listed information in these sections is assigned as functions to be performed by the public bodies under the Rules of Business.  CPDI is in communication with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments urging them to revisit and amend West Pakistan Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1966 and Rules of Business with the view to promote and protect citizens’ right to information. The response from the Punjab government is positive and it has directed Punjab Information Commission to develop recommendations and share it with the government which it has done. We will keep you posted about the developments.

Happy reading,

CPDI

 

India

Two years on, student still fighting for answer book copy

Times of India

... South Gujarat University (VNSGU) has been fighting to get a copy of his answer book for the last two years under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

 

UK

Freedom of Information reveals UK police spend at least £36m a year on comms

PR Week

The role of PR professionals in the police continues to be crucial with 12 forces across the country spending over £1m on comms. News ...

 

UK

UK police requests to access phone calls or emails are granted 93% of the time

The Guardian

The figures, released to Big Brother Watch under freedom of information laws, found there were more than 730,000 requests for communications data ...

 

India

'Matriculate holds several posts in CM's grievance cell'

JAMMU, May 29: Information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by a social activist has revealed that a matriculate is holding several top ...

 

USA

FOI bill in line for plenary debate, but will it open up SALNs to scrutiny?

InterAksyon

MANILA, Philippines -- Advocates have heightened their push for the passage of the Freedom of Information bill by the House of Representatives with ...

 

USA

10 incidents discovered at the nation's biolabs

USA TODAY

... 2014 at the USDA's Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Ga., records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show.

 

India

Salman Khan's Hit-and-Run Files Burned in Fire

India West

A recent Right to Information inquiry revealed the 2002 hit-and-run case files of actor Salman Khan, photographed leaving for the Arab-Indo Bollywood ...

 

India

Mineral water worth Rs 4.66 lakh consumed at Maha secretariat: RTI

Zee News

... consumed a total of 24,684 litres of bottled mineral water at a cost of Rs 4.66 lakh in the last 5 months, a Right to Information query has revealed.

 

Australia

Single freedom of information request ends up costing taxpayers $80000

The Canberra Times

The Department of Agriculture has been lashed at a Senate Estimates hearing for an $80,000 review into how it handles freedom of information ...

 

Malta

62 freedom of information requests

Times of Malta

The government has received 62 freedom of information requests since the act came into force, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this evening.

 

Bahamas

Freedom Of Information Bill Does Not Fix Flaws, Says Expert

Bahamas Tribune

Full consultation and debate prior to enacting a right to information law is appropriate, given its democratic importance and complexity. “However ...

 

India

T fails to take up fight against tobacco menace

Times of India

... a cardiologist, who filed a series of applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with two dozen district and state level health authorities on ...

 

USA

Police tasers used on children and elderly

East London and West Essex Guardian Series

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show officers used the weapon on 11 people over the age of 60 in the 12 months up to April ...

 

UK

We all had a right to see Prince Charles's letters. But not any more, it seems

The Guardian

However the tightening-up of the Freedom of Information Act brings to an end this brief glimpse into Charles's lobbying. The shutters have come down, ...

 

India

Karnataka Governor Spent Rs 3.5 Crore on Renovation, Chartered flights, Finds RTI Query

NDTV

... office, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala has spent a hefty Rs 3.5 crore, an application filed under the Right to Information Act, or RTI, has found.

 

India

State health insurance scheme: Money flows to private hospitals

Times of India

According to information obtained through Right To Information (RTI) Act, out of close to Rs 680 crore that was spent on health insurance in the 2013, ...

 

UK

Garden thefts occur 'every eight minutes'

The Independent

Figures compiled from 38 police forces suggest there were more than 60,000 thefts from gardens last year, the study based on freedom of information ...

 

 

 

 

Transparency and Right to Information Program
-------------------------------------------- 
Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan)
Tel: +92 (0) 51-2375158-9; 4319430
URL: 
www.cpdi-pakistan.org