 What is RTI Act?

 What it means to Speech & Hearing

Professionals?

 How to Empower the Beneficiaries?

“Secrecy without good reason
is no longer an option“
The World's Right to Know

During the last decade, 26countries

have enacted new legislation
giving their citizens access to
government information
 The world’s right to know…… (cont)

Freedom of information is evolving from

a moral indictment of secrecy to a tool
for

a) market regulation
b) more efficient government
c) economic and technological growth

Thomas Blanton July/August 2002

issue of freedominfo.org's on Foreign Policy
 The world’s right to know……(cont)

 Information is Power which Government

wants

To share with the humblest

To empower the weakest.

 Right to Information has to be ensured

for all

- Atal Behari Vajpayee

Why Right to Information?

Information is Key

Democratic Process
and Good Governance

Human Realization of
Development Human Rights
 Right to Information in
India

 Right to Information is a Fundamental

Right

 Fundamental Right to Freedom of

Speech and Expression recognized in
various Supreme Court decisions.
right to information in India…(cont)

 It is directly linked to the Right to Life

“The Honorable Supreme Court has

widened the definition of Right to Life to
include the right to food, health, education,
liberty, etc. denial of information is a denial
of these rights.”
Problems in accessing
information !!!!
Problems in accessing information !!!!.....(cont)

 Culture of Secrecy prevalent in

government

 Lack of accountability in public office

 Badly maintained records

 useful

usable desirable

valuable

findable accessible

credible
 To make access to information a reality
for every citizen

 A law will operationalize the

fundamental right to information

 Legislation will help set up systems and

mechanisms that facilitates people’s
easy access to information
Why do we need a law on RTI…(cont)

 Law will promote transparency and

accountability and enable people’s
participation in governance

 Law will minimize corruption and

inefficiency in public
 Minimal exceptions: Whole of India
except J&K

 J&K has its own freedom of information

Act, 2004

 Duty to inform- suo moto disclosure

Basic Elements of RTI…(cont)

 Accountability provisions

 Provision for setting up of systems to

maintain records and store information for
easy retrieval

 Reasonable fee structure

 Basic Elements of RTI…(cont)

 Time limits for providing information

 Be applicable to private bodies too

 Protection of privacy
 Basic Elements of RTI…(cont)

 Protection of whistleblowers
(an informant who exposes
wrongdoing within an organization in
the hope of stopping it)

 Publicity and training

 Title of Act: Right to Information Act,
2005 ( Act No.22 of 2005)

 Passed by the Lok Sabha on 11th May

2005
 Basic facts…(cont)

 Received the assent of the President of

India on 15th June 2005

 Notified in the Gazette on 21st June 2005

17 Categories of documents
 Any record document
 Memo
 E-mails
 Opinions
 Advisor
 Press release
 Circulars
 Orders
 Logbooks
 Types of information…(cont)

 Papers
 Samples
 Models
 Data
 Materials held in any electronic form
 Even information relating to any private
body which can accessed by public
authority
 Types of information…(cont)

 Inspection of work, documents and

records
 Taking notes, extracts or certified
copies of documents or records
 Taking certified samples of material
 Obtaining information in the form of
floppies, CD’s, pen drive, tapes ,
videos etc.
 No reason is required to be given

 No personal details except the contact

address
 Reasons for request….(cont)

 Time limit: Life or liberty of a person

furnished within 48 hours.

 It should be made as early as possible and

in no case later than 5 days form the
receipt of application

 In other cases 30 working days

 Who gives the information?
The public information officer
The assistant public information
officer
How information is given?
By pro-active disclosure by public
authorities
On submission of Application by the
citizens
 Administration

Training Clinical
 Administrative level

 Type of Information

 Means for providing information

 Involvement of members of
organization
 Employees
 General public
 Type of Information….(cont)

 Employees:
Provide details of
a) Boards, councils, committees etc
b) Proposals placed and the
decisions taken in the or by the

board, council and trustees

c) Budget allocated and execution
of subsidy program
Type of Information….(cont)

d) Statement of documents held

e) Entries in CR, SR
f) Allotment of quarters and their
maintains
g) Status of files
h) Delay in clearing bills
i) Delay or denial of facilities
without any reason
Type of Information….(cont)

General Public
a) Particulars of the organization,
functions and duties
b) Powers and duties of officials &
Job charts
c) Mechanism for consultation with
public
Type of Information….(cont)

d) Directory of officials /employees

& monthly remuneration received

e) Details of information held in

electronic form

f) Particulars of recipients of
concessions etc.
 Circulars, e-mails, website, notice boards,
newsletters, publications, pamphlets,
media etc..

 Publish all relevant facts of policies, rules

and regulations
Means for providing information…(cont)

Circulate important judgments,

decisions relating to RTI

Designate on the notice board/s

details of PIO, APIO
 Formulating important policies,
agendas, proposals to be placed in
board, council and trustees

 Non-exploitation of employees or
labourers
 Training level
Academics
a) Admission procedure and
process
b) Quota under which candidates
are admitted
c) Rules & regulations of Institute
d) Hike in fee structure: reasons &
effective
e) Re-evaluation & Challenge
evaluation: Already exists
f) Question- wise marks can be
obtained
g) Sensitive issue: Referred to full
bench
h) Delay in conducting exams &
declaring results
i) Obtaining clinical practicum &
other academic documents
j) Clinical services
h) Library
a) Type
b) Procedure for allotment
c) Maintenance
d) Rules & regulations
e) Mess facilities
 Clinical level
 Patients
 Professionals
 Clinical level….(cont)

Patient’s Right

 Right to know test to be administered,

 Reasons to administer,

 Fees,

 Results of the test,

 Reliability of test results
 Approx time required
 Adverse effects if any
 Recommendations
 Follow up & referrals if any
 Delay or denial of facilities
 Clinical level….(cont)
Professionals
Speech Pathologist & Audiologist:
a) Responsive and citizen friendly
b) Transparent and unbiased delivery
of services
c) Accountable
Ethical in:
 Actions
 Interface with the people
 Clinical level….(cont)

 Putting a premium on intellectual growth

of SLP & Audiologist and on upgrading
the domain knowledge
 Protecting the SLP & Audiologist

against wrongful pressure exerted by

 superiors
 political executive
 business interests
 other vested interests
Issuing of evaluation reports
Report should include details
Testing condition
Reliability of responses
Results of different test
Recommendations
Follow up & referrals if any
Keep an office copy & the signature
of
client or guardians (Biological/legal)
 Decide whom to be issued
 Verify the authenticity and reason for
seeking report in all speech language
and Hearing conditions
 Be careful with the agents, touts,
mediators, imposters
 Display the details of your employees
with their designation and qualification
Issuing of evaluation reports…(cont)

Details of payments
Type of services available
Timings
Holidays
Prepare and display a citizen charter
Inform well in advance if your going
on leaves
Apologies and accept any in-convince
caused to the public due to you
 Expressively forbidden by the court:
Such as medico legal cases, forensic
voice reports
 Personal details of professionals
 Unwarranted invasion of privacy with
some exception such as information
asked by the court
Grounds of refusal to furnish
reports…(cont)

Disclosure of which would endanger

the life or physical safety of a person

Which would impede the investigation,

apprehension or prosecution
 Uniform Format to be framed for
evaluation
 Report writing: Content to be included
 Re-evaluation
 Norms to defined for all conditions
 Whom to issue reports
 Fee: For issuing reports, certificates if
any
 Exchange of information: Research,
test, protocols, manuals
 Mandatory for professionals to register
jointly at ISHA and RCI
 Centralizing the clinical service
 Condition to be framed when
intervention can be terminated
 Uniform service citizen charters to be
prepared
 Referrals to be kept open ended
 Use of recent technologies: In clinical
and research
 Working hours to be decided
 Equipment: Are they in par with
International standards
 Role of FDA or some other regulatory
body to monitor the standard of
technologies
 Minimum fee to be decided for private
clinics
 Uniform rules and regulations for
promotion and appointment
 Uniform pay scales: Horse-trading
 Right to Information legislation is still in
its infancy.

 There is an urgent need to build

awareness to individuals with disability
and also among the professionals.
 The present act looks at a more holistic
approach, but we the professionals
have to give another serious thought
about its implication in dealing with
clinical population.
 We have to arrive and develop certain
consensus of such quality that the rights of
individuals with disability are preserved
and they are provided best clinical facilities
in par with international standards.
 If we feel that individuals with
disability needs a special attention in
this Act, we should raise our voices
and recommend the changes which
suites best to the differently
population.