Latest news with #RTI
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
NMC's ethics board rejects 162 patients' complaints on medical negligence, RTI
NEW DELHI: As many as 162 patients, who had approached the National Medical Commission (NMC) ethics board against the decision of the State Medical Councils (SMC) regarding complaints of medical negligence and misconduct against doctors, have been rejected in the past four-and-a-half years, an RTI has revealed. This is despite NMC's landmark decision earlier this year, when it overturned its earlier verdict of rejecting patients' and their relatives' appeals to approach its Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), which regulates professional conduct and promotes medical ethics in the country, for redressal of their complaints. In an RTI reply, the NMC to a query from activist Dr K.V. Babu on the number of appeals of patients returned by EMRB from September 25, 2020, to the present, responded that it was 162. To another query, on appeals filed by Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) against SMC decisions to EMRB during the same period, the number was 156. However, to another question on the number of appeals filed by RMPs that EMRB rejected during the same period, the RTI reply, dated June 19, got the answer 'nil.'
Spectator
a day ago
- Business
- Spectator
Revealed: the dodgy data undermining Universal Credit
As Sir Keir Starmer offers concessions to 126 rebels to water down his welfare reform bill, a scandal that undermines the entire Universal Credit system goes ignored. The Spectator has seen figures revealing that the HMRC data feed which powers Universal Credit payments to low-paid workers may be so error-strewn that as many as one in four claimants has been underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all. When Universal Credit was introduced 11 years ago to modernise benefits, it required a robust data system to drive it. HMRC's answer was the 'Real Time Information' (RTI) system – hailed at the time as the most significant overhaul of the tax system since PAYE's introduction in 1944. Employers were required to report payroll information every time they paid staff, enabling near real-time benefit calculations. The system was later used to support the Covid furlough scheme. But problems surfaced almost immediately. Financial penalties that were triggered automatically to ensure employers reported earnings records accurately and on time were abandoned after just one use in 2014, almost as soon as the data stream was turned on. A senior official at HMRC said at the time: 'We haven't been able to target them [400,000 automated compliance messages to employers] as sharply as we hoped and they went to people who had complied.' In hindsight, some insiders draw comparisons to the Post Office's Horizon scandal. The implications of flawed RTI data are vast. FTSE 100 companies have seen tax liabilities misstated by millions because what they owe in tax is also calculated using RTI. Businesses have lost faith in the integrity of the figures. This same stream underpins tax assessments for 30 million people and Universal Credit payments for 23 million. Yet the data is routinely late, inaccurate, or missing. The fallout? Missed tax receipts, unpaid benefits – and in the most severe cases, people wrongly accused of fraud. In 2023, I reported that, while the government claimed the RTI error rate was under 1 per cent, figures I obtained showed a monthly error rate closer to 5 per cent. One in 20 Universal Credit claims for working households, it turns out, may be wrongly calculated every month – a figure the government strongly disputes. More recent Freedom of Information requests suggest an error rate as high as 8 per cent, or 2.5 million incorrect records monthly. The benefits bill is unsustainably high and reform is clearly needed These reports in The Spectator led to the shop workers union USDAW including questions about Universal Credit payments in its annual survey to thousands of members. I have now obtained the results. Of those surveyed, some 1,265 said they claimed Universal Credit. Some 23 per cent admitted they had had issues with their UC claims because the details of their households' total pay were wrong at DWP or had an incorrect date shown. That suggests that almost one in four in-work UC claimants have been made a victim of this error that stems from the RTI system. Nearly 29 per cent of those who had experienced an error ended up in financial hardship as a result. Some 22 per cent said they'd experienced issues but not been able to get a satisfactory response from the DWP. The USDAW survey, which is the first of its kind to ask in-work UC claimants if they've experienced errors stemming from RTI, reveals that even the error rate of 4-8 per cent I've previously reported on could be a considerable underestimate. The survey responders are all USDAW members so tend to be people working in lower-paid private-sector roles. It's not possible to say for certain that they are all UC claimants, but their membership suggests these are the type of people likely to be in the in-work claimant population governed by RTI. A common issue raised was the misreporting of pay dates for supermarket workers paid every four weeks. The RTI system often logs two payments in a single calendar month, triggering a drop in benefit entitlement. These are not isolated glitches; they point to a systemic failure. A government spokesman said: 'In the vast majority of cases using Real Time Information supplied by employers is an efficient and accurate method of calculating Universal Credit payments – and less than 1 per cent of cases do not match. 'If a claimant wishes to dispute the earnings information we have used, they can submit evidence to us, and we will look into the case and make any necessary changes.' The benefits bill is unsustainably high and reform is clearly needed. But if Starmer is now open to concessions, this is his opportunity to go beyond cash savings. He should instruct Welfare Secretary Liz Kendall to review the reliability of the RTI system underpinning Universal Credit. At its core, the principle that work should pay is absolutely right. But it only holds water if the systems ensuring that promise are accurate, transparent and fair. Because too many claimants are being failed by the very mechanism meant to support them. If Starmer wants to reform welfare, he must start by fixing the machinery behind it before another Horizon-style scandal hits the headlines.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Multiple heritage sites in Bengal, Sikkim starved of funds for two-years
A Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed that although footfall and revenue have increased at Archaeological Survey of India sites, at least six districts in West Bengal and important sites in Sikkim received no maintenance funds for ASI-protected monuments in 2022 and 2023. The RTI activists found that conservation funding for West Bengal's ASI sites is significantly below pre-pandemic levels, indicating a continued neglect of heritage sites and buildings. The RTI response, accessed by the Sabar Institute, highlights prolonged gaps in conservation funding in the post-pandemic period, even as public interest and footfall at major sites began to recover. Opinion: A thumbs down for the 'Adopt a Heritage' scheme According to data shared by the ASI in response to the RTI, monuments in the districts including Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Malda, Murshidabad, and Purba Medinipur saw no expenditure on upkeep over the two-year span. The lack of maintenance has also been felt in neighbouring Sikkim, where prominent sites like Rabdentse and Dubdi Monastery also received no funding during the same two years. Increase in visitors However, the number of visitors has risen post-pandemic, especially to popular sites such as Metcalfe Hall, Hazarduari Palace, Cooch Behar Palace, and the Bishnupur temples. Revenue from entry tickets and filming licences — especially at temples in Bankura and Purba Bardhaman — has also gone up. 'Kolkata has received maximum maintenance expenditure in the post-pandemic era. Many of the major heritage sites received no maintenance after the pandemic,' Annay De, Research Associate, Sabar Institute, one of the people behind the RTI queries, told The Hindu. He also stressed that some of the most significant and culturally rich locations are being affected due to this lack of maintenance and need immediate attention from stakeholders. Decline in allocation Yet the overall maintenance allocations have seen a steep decline. ASI sites in West Bengal received ₹4.73 crore in 2019–20 and ₹4.78 crore in 2020–21. This figure dropped significantly in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and only marginally improved to ₹3.78 crore in 2022–23 — well below pre-COVID levels. Mr. De added that credit is due to the ASI to a certain extent because they have also managed to raise maintenance expenditure after the sharp decline during the pandemic era. Experts warn that such prolonged neglect could lead to irreversible damage to monuments and historical structures. 'This isn't just about stone and mortar,' said a researcher at the Sabar Institute. 'It's about memory, identity, and continuity. The cost of forgetting is far greater than the cost of preservation.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Panchkula Police struggle with burglary case resolution: Just 36% solved in last 5 years
Panchkula: The police continue to struggle with a low burglary case resolution rate, raising serious concerns about investigative effectiveness. Despite hundreds of cases being reported each year, a majority remain unsolved, leaving victims without closure and emboldening criminals. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now An analysis of burglary cases over the past five years reveals a concerning trend in Panchkula: only about 36% of all reported burglary cases between 2021 and April 2025 were solved by the district police. Between 2021 and April 2025, a total of 1,044 burglary cases were reported in Panchkula. Of these, only 370 cases were worked out, indicating a five-year case resolution rate of 35.4%. In 2021, 208 burglary cases were reported, with 84 solved, marking a resolution rate of approximately 40.4%. The following year, 285 cases were lodged, with 114 worked out — a 40% resolution rate. In 2023, the rate dipped slightly, with 90 of 278 cases solved (32.4%). The downward trend continued in 2024, with just 71 of 194 cases cracked (36.6%). The current year appears even more troubling: from Jan 1 to April 30, only 11 out of 79 cases — just 13.9% — were solved. The figures were provided under the Right to Information (RTI) act. The consistent failure to solve a majority of these cases means stolen valuables — often including cash, jewellery, electronics, and important documents — are rarely recovered, leaving victims without justice or restitution. Residents and local activists have expressed frustration, citing a lack of police presence, surveillance, and investigative follow-up. "With crime trends showing no signs of slowing, we urge authorities to priorities property crime investigations and strengthen neighbourhood policing to improve both resolution rates and public confidence in law enforcement. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Besides, the police need to increase patrolling and presence to instill fear in the minds of criminals. The recent cases in which thieves dared to enter houses even when the family was in is shocking for all," said SK Nayar, president, Citizens' Welfare Association, Panchkula. A senior police official, on condition of anonymity, admitted that staff shortages and lack of forensic resources hamper investigations. When contacted, ACP Arvind Kamboj (crime branch) told TOI, "I do not have the said data with me right now, but we are doing recoveries and solving cases in many burglaries. Not just at police station level, even crime branch level teams are formed and cases are solved."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
871 denied treatment under MJPJAY by hospitals
Mumbai: Over five years, 871 patients, 55 of them from Mumbai, were denied treatment by hospitals under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, prompting them to approach district-level officials. This data is part of a response to an RTI query filed by activist Jitendra Ghadge. "There are around 6,500 hospitals in the state, but only 2,019 (31%) are enrolled in this scheme. Even empanelled hospitals are denying treatment to the poor. This shows serious flaws in implementation of the scheme," said Ghadge. Officials said the data is misleading if read without context. "From 2019-20 to 2024-25, 58 lakh cases received pre-authorisation for treatment under the scheme. In comparison, 871 complaints are very few and exceptional," said Aannasaheb Chavan, CEO of MJPJAY. He said many of these cases were resolved immediately after district coordinators intervened. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Dr Rameshwar Kumbhar, who heads the grievance cell, said, "The scheme covers only specific treatments and ailments. In some cases, patients file complaints against hospitals for not providing procedures that are not covered under the scheme." With 181 complaints, Sangli saw the highest number of patients who involved local officials. An official there said, "There are many procedures for which the scheme provides insufficient cover. In such cases, hospitals ask patients to pay the rest... agitated patients or relatives complain. In many cases, we make the hospital reimburse the out-of-pocket amount." —Eshan Kalyanikar
