Governor of Jammu and Kashmir deserves all compliments to put Jammu-Kashmir Bank under ambit of RTI Act on reports of political interference used for backdoor appointments of about 2000 candidates and sanctioning massive loans to undeserving ones including Chennai-based close relation of erstwhile political ruler of the state. Many of loan-defaulters managed more borrowings to divert funds to Dubai and other Gulf countries as per media-reports.
It is time for central government to follow footsteps by putting 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.
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. Recently retired Chief Information Commission noted thatInstitute 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.
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL