Of late, the citizens right to information under RTI is not only useful to set right the Government Machinery. Some times it also exposes the official practices we follow years together have nothing official about it.
It is reported that DOPT has admitted in a reply to a query under RTI that there was no information regarding declaration of Sunday a holiday, which is being observed religiously by the government, private sector and traders as well.
The DoPT reply, however, referred to an order of May 21, 1985 stating that in order to improve the efficiency, the government had to introduce 5-day weeks in its civil administration offices. Such government offices would now work for five days a week from Monday to Friday, with all Saturdays as closed. Even this order does not officially declare Sunday as holiday.
Three months back, in reply to a query under RTI by a curious 10 years old School child, the Government had to admit that there is no record of Mahatma Gandhi ever formally being named Father of the Nation. Thats possibly because the title was never formally conferred.
Source: , Deccan Chronicle .
