Srinagar/June, 23: : J&K RTI Foundation on Sunday welcomed the appointment of APIO’s/PIO’s/FAA’s and suo-moto disclosure of information under Section 4 of Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act 2009 by Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited which was brought under RTI on 17th of this month.
In a statement issued on Sunday Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Foundation, Er. Irfan Banka, while congratulating and welcoming the J&K Bank’s move has said, “Section 4 of J&K RTI Act 2009 says that every public authority shall publish within one hundred and twenty days certain information, suo-motu, at regular intervals through various means of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of the Act to obtain information. The Bank has published information on its website under the link https:// /www. jkbank .com/ others/ common/rtibank.php displayed at the footer of the website which is not so prominent to the viewers and must be put at the top of website under headings. Information related to STRUCTURE OF RTI IN J&K BANK UNDER JAMMU AND KASHMIR RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2009, MANAGEMENT/ ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF J&K BANK, and J&K BANK FUNCTIONS/DUTIES has been put on the website within just a week’s time after the bank was brought under RTI which is really appreciable and will reduce the number of RTI applications by a good percentage. The Bank has designated 812 APIO’s, 11 PIO’s and 11 FAA’s within one week only which could serve as an example for other government departments, and infact for the SAC itself, who are yet to appoint PIOs/FAAs and/or disclose suo motu information as per section 4 of the J&K RTI Act. We congratulate the interim Chairman & MD Mr. R.K. Chibber and request him to direct all the Public Information Officer’s to render reasonable assistance to the persons seeking information as per law and pin the detail’s of APIO’s/PIO’s/FAA’s to the notice boards of the branch offices. The team of J&K Bank dealing with the RTI should go through the guidelines of DoPT Government of India wherein a detailed procedure for implementation of the act and especially section 4 has been given for public authorities.”
Sheikh Maqbool who is Spokesperson of J&K RTI Foundation said, “Most of the information related to the Jammu and Kashmir Bank can be put through a search engine on the website of J&K Bank as the bank is completely digitalized”.
“J&K Bank should put information related to recruitments on its website so that the number of RTI Applications by job aspirants is reduced. J&K RTI Foundation will hold an event for the aggrieved J&K Bank job applicants wherein the grievances/queries/questions of these applicants will be answered”, the statement added.
