SHILLONG: The Working President of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), Thomas Passah informed that the Secretary of the Secretariat Administration Department (SAD) had summoned members of the party for a clarification related to an RTI application filed by KHNAM.
Passah said the RTI was submitted to seek a list of names of employees, running into the hundreds, who receive monthly salaries from the SAD. He pointed out that the department had earlier failed to furnish the names and had only provided the number of employees in its second RTI reply.
He further revealed that he received a letter from the SAD Secretary calling for a hearing on the matter, which was held today. According to Passah, the hearing was satisfactory, and the party reiterated that the demand for the list of names was aimed at clearing doubts over alleged irregular appointments within the department.
Passah clarified that the RTI request was not targeted at any specific individual but was a step toward ensuring transparency, as the public has the right to know how government funds are being utilised, particularly regarding salary payments.
He asserted that the RTI application seeks to prevent corruption and illegal appointments across departments, stressing that such transparency would help curb the practice of appointing individuals based on political connections or favouritism.
