Delivering his talk on harassment of women at workplaces at Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) office at Bunder here on Saturday, he said that the sexual harassment act passed in 2013 was gender-biased and was meant for the protection of women. Every employer is required to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office or place of work with a workforce of 10 or more employees. If the workforce is less than 10 employees, a Local Complaints Committee (LCC) should be formed in each district, constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, he said.
He said that non-compliance with the provisions of the Act by the employer would attract a penalty of Rs 50,000, and if the violation is repeated, the penalty would be doubled. The Act is also applicable to not merely an employee, but every woman who enters the premises of a workplace, he said.
He also pointed out that the complainant would also attract penalty if it was proved that the complaint was false.
Right To Information Act is effective '
Speaking on the Right To Information (RTI) Act which was brought into effect in 2005, he said that the Act was beneficial, people-friendly and effective in finding out information from public authorities and inspection of public records.
“Everything with respect to RTI Act is time-bound. Information should be provided to the applicant within the shortest period of time, failing which the applicant is entitled to a refund of fee. Delay in providing information incurs penalty,” he said.
He explained the process of how to apply for information under the RTI Act. Refusal to receive applications without reasonable cause, failure of providing information, malafide denial of information, providing misleading or incorrect information or destroying information will invoke penalty under the provisions of the Act, he said, adding that applications for information could be sent to public authorities or governmental departments.
In case of denial of information by public authorities, he said that more awareness should be created among public officials to make the Act fully effective. “We have to educate our officers, who lack knowledge about the Act. People have to be educated, to change their mindset with regard to the attitude of public servants,” he said.
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