TETE-A-TETE with Major. Sanjay Yadav, the State Information Commissioner

The Legal Aid Committee had the honor of having Major. Sanjay Yadav, the State Information Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, in the campus on 4th August, 2011. He was here to interact with the students about the nitty-gritty of the Right to Information Act, 2005. After the interactive session, LAC had the opportunity to pose a few questions to him.

1. You had passed out from the NDA, so when and under what circumstances did you join the Commission?

Mr.Yadav: "I took retirement from the Army service in 1992. After that, I was involved in social work. I joined the Commission in December, 2006."

2. How many RTIs on an average do you receive per day?

Mr.Yadav: "Around 400 RTIs are filed with the Commission each day."

3. What according to you are the loopholes in RTI Act? Kindly mention the amendments that you would like to suggest.

Mr. Yadav: "I feel that that the Act has been drafted and passed in great haste. The provisions of RTI Act could have been better. Presently, there is a proposal on the part of the Government to remove a very essential part of the RTI. The first drawback is that the First Appellate Authority are not made accountable. As a result, the burden of increasing number of RTIs ceases to decrease. Secondly, the procedure of getting information by filing an RTI takes a toll on the information seeker. Thirdly, the authorities are not provided with enough resources so as to provide information at a quicker rate."

4. Do you think that RTI should be made part of school curriculum?

Mr. Yadav: "Yes, RTI should be made part of school curriculum preferably starting from Class XIth onwards. It should be compulsory for students of all the streams as they are a student later and a citizen first of all. RTI can be incorporated in subjects like 'Environmental Education and Civic Sense' etc."

5. To what extent do you feel RTI can act as an efficient tool for bringing transparency?

Mr.Yadav: " I feel RTI can make the system transparent to a great extent. It gives power to the poorest of the poor. For example, the people that come to us are villagers. Their RTI application generally deals with topics like MNREGA, Indira Aawas Yojana, Mid-day meal, scholarship for students, Public Administration System (PDS), revenue, land disputes etc. "

6. How do you think people can be educated about RTI?

Mr. Yadav: "The responsibility for educating people about RTI rests with all of us. We can not expect only the Government to educate the people. Self-help government, law graduates, advocates can play an important part in creating awareness about RTI.

7. What do you expect from the youth of today?

Mr.Yadav: "I feel that today's youth is not aware of what is happening around them. They should be aware of what is happening around them. For example, cyber crimes originated in the cyber world. The law has its origin in common problems. Thus, its essential for one to be aware."

8. How was your experience of interacting with RMLNLU students regarding RTI?

Mr. Yadav: "This was a fantastic opportunity for me to interact with the students. This was my second visit to RMLNLU. The students have ample opportunity for their overall development here. One realizes the importance of institution after he/she passes out."