CIC tells health ministry, give the details of expenditure incurred on Vajpayee’s health
New Delhi: The Central Information Commission has directed the Health Ministry to make public expenses incurred on the treatment of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee within 15 days.
Slamming the Ministry for repeatedly transferring the RTI application, the Commissioner said, “We find it surprising that the Ministry did not take pains to locate the information and provide to the appellant and, instead, shuttled around the RTI application from division to another.”
Earlier also, the then Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah had justified disclosure of expenses incurred on the treatment of VIPs saying the funds are given from the state exchequer, hence, should be disclosed.
“In so far as expenses are concerned, this is indeed information that can be disclosed since the expenses made from the public exchequer are accountable,” Habibullah had said.
Vajpayee held the post of Prime Minister on three occasions-in 1996 for 13 days, between 1998 to 1999 for 13 months and between 1999 to 2004 for a complete term. He had undergone a number of treatments including a knee-replacement surgery.
