The Right to Information (RTI) Commission stated that although the RTI Act, No. 12 of 2016, provides it with a degree of independence to make staff recruitments, this has not been possible in practice due to limitations imposed by the Treasury, which controls funding.
The RTI Commission’s Director General (DG) K.D.S. Ruwanchandra has told the media that public sector recruitments have been restricted by the Government, and that this has affected the Commission. He added that the issue is not unique to the RTI Commission and is being faced by several other public institutions as well.
“Under our Act, there is some level of independence that enables us to make recruitments. However, the Treasury has limited recruitments to the public sector. When it comes to the RTI Commission, we don’t generate revenue, we only spend. So, funding has to be approved by the Treasury for recruitments. That is where the difficulty is,” he has been quoted as saying.
Nevertheless, Ruwanchandra has noted that despite these constraints, the Commission continues to fully carry out its work possible with the resources currently available. He said that there has been no disruption to the Commission’s routine functions, including appeal hearings, which are continuing as scheduled.
However, on an earlier occasion, he had noted the shortage of staff and other resources has left little room for additional programmes or institutional development.
The RTI Commission, established under the RTI Act, functions as an independent oversight body with the power to inquire into non-compliance with the Act and to recommend disciplinary or legal action against public officials where necessary.
However, there have been much focus on the need for the RTI Commission to be further strengthened by providing the necessary funds for operations with civil society organisations urging the President and government to strengthen the Commission.
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