Yes:
• Yes. Had there been no RTI, backdoor appointments would be going on without any shame and roads will be all kuchha roads and so on
• Yes. RTI is once such institution that makes corruption more and more difficult. It definitely makes governance more and more transparent and hence more honest and accountable.
• Yes. With opposition parties joining the government and Nagaland having no opposition party, at least RTI is one tool in the hand of common people to check and seek accountability from the bureaucrats and executive.
• Yes. In the past, the corrupts could hide easily. With RTI, we can now expose and legally drag the corrupts to court.
No:
• No! We could have used this to our advantage a long time ago to bring transparency and accountability. But there has been little to no change whether we have RTI or not. Even journalists should have used RTI to their advantage. It made investigative journalism so much easier for us, but very few have taken advantage of this. However, that being said, RTI or no RTI, Nagas are not ready or evolved enough for social change. There are a few who are advocating for social change but there is little support or enthusiasm. That is just the sorry state of affairs not just for governance but the electorate too. And life goes on.
• RTI is instead manufacturing more educated Thieves. Nijor, nijor hi janibo.
• RTI gives opportunities to thieves to steal from thieves. Thats what's up here in Nagaland. A right, misused ... But what can we expect when the offices are all corrupt . . . A thief cannot cry 'foul' if he himself is robbed.
• Absolute NO, in a State known as "Nagaland for Christ". No one in this world would expect that an activist of an instrument to check corruption in the government system is CORRUPTED. At this juncture, just a line left to be written; GOD SAVE NAGALAND.
• RTI is sadly becoming a tool for some unscrupulous people to exert pressure to extract not information per se but monetary benefits. Certain riders need to be in place in the Act/rules to deter such activities.
Others:
• RTI is a powerful tool for citizens, and it sure is serving a purpose in Nagaland. With no opposition and rampant corruption, our society has reached the pinnacle of a corrupt society. In a handful of years, many corrupt practices; backdoor appointment, irregularities of implementation of govt. scheme has been exposed by RTI activists in the public domain. However, just to seek information for the sake of it should not be the end purpose, rather, the exposed irregularities, and corrupt practices should be addressed through legal remedies, and I believe the RTI applicants are doing so. As far as the allegations of RTI activists extorting money from various departments are concerned, action should be taken if at all the allegations are founded. Otherwise, people should stop spreading false allegations if there’s no material evidence to prove the same. Only people whose interests are effected seem to be crying. The reality is that, as per RTI Act, the person seeking information is the one who pays the PIO to get information.
• Transparency is the objective of the act. But when defaulters are never punished/penalised in our state, so what is the use. No outcome...
