DoPT orders to bring details of compassionate appointments in public

All central government departments have been asked to make public the details of compassionate appointments under consideration on their website, a senior official said Tuesday. The move comes following an order by the Central Information Commission (CIC) in this regard.

The Ministry of Personnel had on May 20 issued an order to all central government departments seeking compliance of the directive of the CIC. The commission, while hearing a case, observed that voluntary disclosure of all information that ought to be displayed in the public domain should be the rule and members of the public who have to seek information should be an exception.

"An open government, which is the cherished objective of the RTI Act, can be realised only if all public offices comply with proactive disclosure norms," it said in the order. Section 4(2) of the RTI Act mandates every public authority to provide as much information suo-motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications, including the Internet, so that the public need not resort to the use of the RTI Act, the transparency watchdog said.

"The Commission felt that details on compassionate appointment which were in a waiting list of all the ministries and autonomous institutions under the Government of India and policy/directives relating to compassionate appointment, etc. should be suo-motu uploaded on their website to facilitate access to information and efficaciousness of the RTI Act," it said. After hearing submissions made from all concerned, the commission said such information should be displayed on the website of each of the institutions governed by the DoPT under the personnel ministry for the benefit of employees and public at large.