PMO received over 12,500 RTI applications in 2016-17, highest since 2012

The Prime Minister's Office received over 12,500 RTI applications during 2016-17, highest since 2012, according to an official data.

There has also been an increase in number of appeals filed by citizens, aggrieved over initial response to their applications from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it said.

A total of 12,787 applications were filed with the PMO in 2016-17 as against 11,138 in 2015-16 and 12,674 during 2014-15. As many as 7,077 such queries were raised in 2013-14 and 5,828 during 2012-13, the PMO said in response to the RTI query filed by this PTI correspondent.

The PMO was asked to provide details of RTI applications and appeals received by it and also those rejected by it between 2013 and 2018.

A total of 1,306 RTI applications were rejected during 2016-17 as against 2,234 and 2,795 in 2015-16 and 2014-15 respectively. As many as 1,450 such queries were rejected in 2013-14 and 1,130 in 2012-13, according to the data.

"It is stated that the rejection of applications is done as per provisions prescribed in the Right to Information Act," the PMO said.

The RTI Act allows Indian citizens to seek governance-related information from government departments in a time-bound manner. The Act has provisions to raise appeal in case the applicant is not satisfied with the response provided by the government department concerned.

As many as 1,592 appeals were received by the PMO during 2016-17, 1,478 in 2015-16, 1,306 during 2014-15, 701 in 2013-14 and 632 in 2012-13. Of these, 1,098 appeals were rejected in 2016-17, 1,155 in 2015-16, 1,035 during 2014-15, 506 and 493 in 2013-14 and 2012-13 respectively, the PMO said.

"It is stated that appeals filed with this office under the RTI Act are decided on merit of each individual case," it said.

The PMO, however, refused to share total number of RTI applications and appeals pending disposal, saying the "compilation of information will disproportionately divert the public resources".