Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh Addresses 13th Annual General Body Meeting of NFICI

New Delhi: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh today addressed and later interacted with Central and State Information Commissioners at the 13th Annual General Body Meeting of the “National Federation of Information Commissions of India” (NFICI) at the Central Information Commission headquarters.

In his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh lauded NFICI for its instrumental role in advancing the cause of the Right to Information Act, 2005. He emphasized, “Ever since Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister in 2014, transparency and citizen-centric governance have been central to the Government’s model of governance.”

Referring to the RTI Act as a provision to ensure maximum disclosure and minimum exemptions, consistent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Maximum Governance, Minimum Government,” Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that India’s CPRAMS is now a role model for grievance redressal globally, with an effective redressal time as short as five days due to technology-linked solutions and flagging of grievances.

Dr. Singh urged the Information Commissioners to integrate Artificial Intelligence and new age tools to increase efficiency in public disclosure of information. He also underscored the importance of human intervention, recalling the setting up of the Human Desk to take feedback from citizens after grievance disposal. The Minister reiterated the Modi Government’s driving principles of transparency, accountability, and citizen-centricity in governance. During the interaction, he listened to the grievances and suggestions of State Information Commissioners and assured them of a positive response.

He appreciated the Central Information Commission’s efforts in increasing efficiency, noting the almost 100 percent disposal of RTI appeals, with pendency decreasing every year. Dr. Singh highlighted the exemplary work done by the CIC during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they remained functional throughout. He also mentioned the ease brought to residents of Jammu and Kashmir after opening a branch in the Union Territory.

Dr. Jitendra Singh recalled that the CIC received its independent office complex after 2014 when the new government took office, prior to which it operated from a rented place. In an inspiring message to young officers of the CIC, he called them torchbearers and conscience keepers of Vision 2047.

Chief Information Commissioner of India, Heeralal Samariya, informed the Minister about the steady progress, noting that nearly 17,000 second appeals are disposed of every year by the CIC.