DOPT, PMO report sharp decline in RTI backlog by over 70%, says CHRI

The ministries of statistics and programme implementation and personnel as well as the Prime Minister's Office are the top offices to have reduced their backlog of pending RTI applications by over 70 per cent, according to an analysis of the Central Information Commission annual report for 2021-22 by a voluntary group.

The report from Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) accessed by PTI shows that among other government departments, the Department of Space reported a 55.51 per cent decline in its RTI application backlog in 2021-22 vis-a-vis 2020-21.

The Ministry of Mines reported a 48.79 per cent decline in RTI application, the textiles ministry reported a 42.29 dip while the Commerce and Industry and the Road Transport and Highways ministries saw a dip of 32.99 per cent and 30.88 per cent, respectively.

In the Union Territories, Andaman and Nicobar reported an almost 87 per cent decline in backlog RTI applications, while Delhi reported a reduction of 10.25 per cent, the report said.

The CHRI analysed the data of pending RTI applications at the start of 2021-22 with that reported at the beginning of 2020-21.

"The Union Government as a whole reported a backlog of 4.10 lakh RTI applications at the start of the 2021-22 reporting year (including the backlog of Union Territories). In 2020-21 the backlog reported at the commencement of that year was 3.48 lakh RTI applications.

"This is a 17.94 per cent increase in the size of the backlog. The contribution of the Union Territories to the total figure of 2021-22 was only 29,769 RTI applications," it said.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reported a dip of 82.68 per cent, Ministry of Personnel 80.55 per cent and the PMO saw a reduction of 73.48 per cent in terms of RTI backlog in 2021-22, according to data filed by the Central Information Commission in its latest annual report.

The Central Information Commission itself saw a 290.70 per cent rise in backlog at the start of 2021-22 as compared with the 2020-21 figure while NITI Aayog reported a 325 per cent increase.

"Among the Union Ministries which receive a large number of RTI applications, the steepest spike in backlog volume at the start of the year 2021-22 as compared to the backlog volume at the commencement of the year 2020-21 was reported by the Railways (335.96 per cent) followed by Corporate Affairs (220.90 per cent), Tribal Affairs (248.57 per cent), Health and Family Welfare (188.53 per cent) and Home Affairs (131.96 per cent)," the CHRI's analytical report said.

A total of 14.21 lakh Right to Information applications were filed in 2021-22 seeking information from the Union Government, an increase of 6.55 per cent from 2020-21. It is also 3.51 per cent higher than the figures reported in 2019-20, the report said.

"The highest increase in terms of the absolute number of RTI applications filed in 2021-22 was reported by public authorities under the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

"Almost 78,000 more RTI requests were filed with this ministry as compared with the figures reported in 2020-21. This is a 123 per cent increase," it said

The report said the highest percentage increase in RTI applications was reported by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs at 131.79 per cent.

"In 2021-22, this ministry reported 1,852 RTI applications as compared with only 799 in 2020-21. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare reported an 85.86 per cent increase in the RTI application figures for 2021-22 (14,127) as compared with the figures for 2020-21 (7,601)," CHRI added.