Why should SGPC not come under Right to Information Act?
Category: Current Issues
Recently the State Information Commission in a landmark ruling directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandik Committee (SGPC) run Guru
Ram Dass Charitable Trust to appoint a Public Information Officer for providing information to the people seeking it under the Right to Information Act (RTI). It is a welcome ruling generally accepted and acknowledged by the public in the right spirit. However, the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has reservations and objections against the order.
He says SGPC and the institutions managed by it should be exempted from the RTI Act. Why so? The charitable trusts run by the SGPC are working in the public interest. So what is wrong in case anybody seeks information about their working, particularly about the funds spent? What is so confidential about that? Mr Makkar must explain.
It would be in the highest interests of everybody, particularly the Sikh community, if the SGPC functioning is also brought under the RTI Act. With all respects to the sanctity and the authority of the SGPC, as it being the highest parliament of Sikhs, it becomes important for the institution itself not just to be above board, but to be seen above board as well. SGPC is no ordinary institution. The current year’s budget of the SGPC amounts to Rs 665 crores.
And most of the money comes from donations made with lot of faith and respect. Does Mr Makkar think that the people who offer donations should not have the right to ask as how the money is spent? Rather Mr Makkar should volunteer with the information to clear all and any doubts and misgivings about the way SGPC money is spent. Or is it just because that Mr Makkar had to do a lot of explaining for the expenditure he incurred on his official (SGPC) vehicles for which information had been sought and given under RTI.
By bringing any institution under the RTI should not mean that the integrity of the people running these institutions is questioned. It only means that the functioning of the institution becomes more transparent and remains open to public scrutiny which will further strengthen the people’s trust in such institutions. And such institutions are run by the trust and respected out of trust.
Any objection to making things work in a transparent manner, no matter how sincere and justified it is, always raises doubts and suspicion that the attempts are being made to hide some or certain things for some mysterious reasons which only undermines the trust in the institution.
Mr Makkar is a gentleman. Despite that questions have been raised about the SGPC functioning and the way money was being spent. For the first time in recent history SGPC has started running into losses despite substantial increase in the number of pilgrims. Nobody questions anybody’s integrity in the SGPC particularly that of Mr Makkar. Any attempts to hide facts from general public raise suspicions which can and must be avoided. RTI provides a solution towards that, which Mr Makkar should ideally accept.
June 1, 2012
ਵਿਸ਼ਾ: RTI, SGPC
