Finance Dept. rejects RTI plea on salary donation
KOCHI, NOVEMBER 08, 2018 00:00 IST
Info sought was on staff who agreed to contribute
The Finance Department has refused to disclose the number of employees who have agreed to donate a month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) under the government’s ‘salary challenge’ initiative.
A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by The Hindu (on October 24, 2018) had sought the latest information on the department/institution-wise information on the number of employees who had agreed to donate a month’s salary to the CMDRF.
“The information sought is available on the Service and Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK). However, it has not been published and collected and hence cannot be made available as per Section 2 (f) of chapter I of the RTI Act, 2005,” said Binu M. Sayani, under secretary and State Public Information Officer, Finance Department, in a letter dated October 22.
Section 2 (f) defines ‘information’ as material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form, and information related to any private body, which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.
The Finance Department also declined to provide information on the total donation that would have come into the relief fund if all the government employees had agreed to join the drive.
The RTI reply stated that the donations received under the salary challenge initiative will be deposited in a treasury account opened in the name of the Principal Secretary, Finance Department. It will be used for various rehabilitation projects being planned after the devastating floods that hit the State. It also revealed that Rs. 1,680.87 crore was received under the CMDRF as on October 8.
KOCHI, NOVEMBER 08, 2018 00:00 IST
Info sought was on staff who agreed to contribute
The Finance Department has refused to disclose the number of employees who have agreed to donate a month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) under the government’s ‘salary challenge’ initiative.
A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by The Hindu (on October 24, 2018) had sought the latest information on the department/institution-wise information on the number of employees who had agreed to donate a month’s salary to the CMDRF.
“The information sought is available on the Service and Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK). However, it has not been published and collected and hence cannot be made available as per Section 2 (f) of chapter I of the RTI Act, 2005,” said Binu M. Sayani, under secretary and State Public Information Officer, Finance Department, in a letter dated October 22.
Section 2 (f) defines ‘information’ as material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form, and information related to any private body, which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.
The Finance Department also declined to provide information on the total donation that would have come into the relief fund if all the government employees had agreed to join the drive.
The RTI reply stated that the donations received under the salary challenge initiative will be deposited in a treasury account opened in the name of the Principal Secretary, Finance Department. It will be used for various rehabilitation projects being planned after the devastating floods that hit the State. It also revealed that Rs. 1,680.87 crore was received under the CMDRF as on October 8.
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