RTI appeals, complaints disposal rate crosses 90% in current fiscal: CIC

The disposal rate of appeals and complaints filed under the RTI Act has crossed 90 per cent so far this fiscal, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Heeralal Samariya said on Sunday.

Samariya, who was sworn in as the CIC on November 6, said this during a meeting with Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh.

During an hour-long meeting, Samariya informed the minister that the disposal rate of the Right to Information (RTI) appeals and complaints has, for the first time, crossed 90 per cent in the current financial year, according to a personnel ministry statement.

Singh lauded the Central Information Commission for achieving "consistent decline" in pendency with corresponding rise in disposal of the RTI appeals.

According to the CIC data available as on November 9, 11,499 RTI appeals and complaints were disposed of, while 12,695 were received, marking a disposal rate of 90.5 per cent, the statement said.

In 2022-23, 19,018 appeals were registered, while in 2021-22, 19,604 appeals were filed as against 19, 183 in 2020-21.

As many as 29,210 RTI appeals were disposed of in 2022-23, 28,793 in 2021-22 and 17,017 in 2020-21, it said, adding that the figures include the backlog of pending RTI appeals which were also disposed of during the respective years.

The minister applauded the office of Chief Information Commission for being the first government body to use artificial intelligence (AI) for study, analysis and pattern of RTIs and "also checking credentials of RTI applicants", the statement said.

The CIC also apprised the minister of the hybrid mode, i.e., physical-cum-video conferencing introduced in his office for hearing and disposal of RTI appeals.

Singh told the CIC to urge the State Information Commissions to also introduce the hybrid mode latest by the end of this year.

The commission conducted 4,783 video conferences in 2020-21, 7,514 in 2021-22 and 11,090 in 2022-23. With such improvements, the pendency of appeals and complaints was brought down progressively from 38,116 in the year 2020-21 to 29,213 in 2021-22 and further to a record low of 19,233 during 2022-23.

The Union minister said that it was during the Modi government that a 24-hour portal service was introduced for e-filing of the RTI applications at anytime and from anywhere.

Singh said that the role of the Central Information Commission is important to live up to PM Modi's vision of transparency and citizen participation in the functioning of the government.