In a bid to combat corruption and ensure transparency, all cooperative societies in Madhya Pradesh engaged in grain procurement and managing ration shops have been brought under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
State Information Commissioner (SIC) Rahul Singh has issued a directive mandating the proactive disclosure of ration shop salespersons’ salaries on the district portal. This move aims to promote transparency and hold accountable those involved in the distribution of essential commodities.
Singh’s order underscores the prevalent complaints from farmers regarding irregularities within cooperative societies. These complaints often go unresolved due to the lack of transparency in their operations.
Additionally, numerous queries have arisen from Public Distribution System (PDS) salespersons regarding their salaries, with some reportedly going unpaid for years.
Initially, the Cooperative Department had denied SIC’s request for details, asserting that cooperative societies were not subject to the RTI Act. However, Singh conducted an inquiry under the Civil Procedure Code, uncovering government orders and notifications affirming the governmental control over these societies, reports the TOI.
The move to bring cooperative societies under the RTI Act marks a departure from a 2013 ruling by the apex court, which declared that cooperative societies did not fall within the ambit of the RTI Act.
The court’s judgment was based on the interpretation that the authority exercised by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies was purely regulatory or supervisory, and not indicative of state control.
While the court emphasized that information not accessible by a public authority defined under the RTI Act would not be under state control, it also acknowledged that disclosure of information must serve the larger public interest.
Consequently, cooperative societies are now obligated to provide information in alignment with the principles of transparency and accountability as outlined in the RTI Act.