It refers to reply in Parliament by government that it has advised National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to abide by CIC-decision 15.04.2011 upheld by single-bench of Delhi High Court by its order dated 02.02.2015 to bring Mother Dairy under RTI Act. Presently Mother Dairy has filed an appeal at Division Bench of Delhi High Court. Rather all NDDB subsidiaries should be covered under RTI Act. Most people and even public-authorities are unaware of the fact that NDDB has to provide information about its subsidiaries including Mother Dairy under section 2(f) of RTI Act with NDDB being the regulatory body for its subsidiaries.
Best is to put all Public-Private-Partnerships PPPs, sports-bodies, cooperative-societies and other such bodies affecting lives of millions to be directly under RTI Act to effectively check massive misuse of public-funds by their office-bearers. It is necessary because all such bodies approach High Courts to obtain ex-party stay-orders on CIC-verdicts declaring them under RTI Act. Retired Chief Information Commission RK Mathur in a CIC-verdict noted that Institute of Banking Personnel Selection IBPS is not a public-authority under RTI Act even though four million candidates appear every year for examinations conducted by it.
Co-operative giant IFFCO through which annual fertiliser-subsidy of rupees thousands of crores is routed gifted prime-properties worth rupees hundreds of crores in New Delhi to its office-bearers with even Comptroller and Auditor General report pointing out massive irregularities in functioning of IFFCO.
BCCI challenged CIC-verdict ordering it as public-authority under RTI Act at Madras High Court despite Union Ministry of Sports supporting CIC-verdict in this respect. It is noteworthy that even Law Commission on being approached by central government subsequent to Supreme Court directions, opined in favour of BCCI to be under purview of RTI Act.
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL