The reply, which the
Department of Posts has given for non-compliance to the RTI filed by
Delhi-based civil activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal, says: "Both the
security printing presses at Nasik and Hyderabad do not have paper to
print RTI stamps!'' To this reply, Agarwal took a dig at the postal
department saying, "these two presses have sufficient paper to print
postal stamps for some foreign countries, apart from adequately equipped
for printing commemorative and definitive-series stamps regularly with
some stamps like on Sachin Tendulkar printed within a few days of
decision-taken, but not for RTI, clearly a discrimination against the
game-changer Act and disrespect to the CIC direction.''
On August 27, 2013, the
CIC had clearly directed Secretary, Department of Posts, that "RTI
applications be accepted in all its 25,000-odd post offices across the
country and the RTI stamp of the denomination of Rs.10 be used instead
of postal orders and this would be time and cost-effective step.'' But
the postal department has its own set of reasons for not issuing the RTI
stamps so far.
"The issue of RTI stamps
is under examination. A committee has been set up by the Secretary
(Posts). All stamps are printed by India Security Press at Nasik and
Hyderabad. But currently, both presses are out of stamp papers and the
printing of postal stamps has been adversely affected by this. Hence,
the matter be raised by the DOP&T with the CMD of Security Printing
and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCI) Limited and the Finance
Secretary under whose charge SPMCI Ltd operates,'' says the RTI reply by
Postal Department.
It also hinted at
logistics hurdles as opening nearly 25,000 postal offices for this
purpose would demand "dedicated manpower and official infrastructure,
including computers, which requires cost. In fact, Department of Posts
admitted that it has got "no manpower and extra remuneration even to
execute RTI Act by accepting those applications and issuing postal
orders for the same through its 4,700 designated post offices.'' The
onus thus clearly falls on the government to give mandate, manpower and
money to execute CIC direction in its right spirit.
Source : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/
