Page 2 - Right To Information

RTI in politics

Bringing political parties within the fold of law will not help

Kerala govt launches online portal for RTI application after SC's directive

People in Kerala no longer need to stand in queues to submit applications or send requests by post for information under the transparency law and can have access to it from the comforts of their homes thanks to the state government launching an online RTI portal following a Supreme Court directive. Prior to the launch of the portal on June 19, an application under the transparency law -- the Right to Information Act -- had to be either submitted in person before the concerned department or authority along with the requisite fees or sent by post. This was also necessitated by the fact that an online RTI portal implemented by the state government with the help of the IT Mission earlier was non-functional due to technical difficulties. Therefore, the new portal, developed with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) is expected to make the access to information easier and more transparent. "The payment for the fees on the RTI online portal will be through e-Treasury Portal,"

Denial of RTI to non-citizens against the spirit of Constitution: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has held that both Indian citizens and non-citizens have access to the Right to Information (RTI), and to restrict that to non-citizens would be against both the RTI Act

RBI rejects RTI seeking information on its correspondence with govt

The report mentioned the debate on disclosure of the RBI's failure to meet the flexible retail inflation target of 2-6% for three straight quarters between January and September

Right to Information query reveals 315,962 posts lying vacant in Railways

At present, 3,15,962 posts are vacant in the Railways, which has been revealed under the Right To Information.

Expenditure on India's information commissions has fallen 91% in six years

Since FY17, the budget allocation for information commissions has shrunk by 82.7% from Rs 31.9 crore

10 people from Gujarat banned from filing RTI queries in last 18 months

The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC), which imposed the ban, listed 'using RTI Act to harass government officials' and 'filing multiple queries' as the reasons

Information provided under RTI Act can't be denied to MLAs: Delhi Assembly

A three member committee formed by Delhi Assembly said that information provided under RTI Act can not be denied to the legislators, sources said

CIC to EC: Give on stamp paper you disclosed all info under RTI

The case originates from an RTI query filed by activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd)

Provide total cost of printing electoral bonds: CIC to India Security Press

Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd) had filed an RTI with the ISP to provide details of total cost of printing the electoral bonds introduced by the government to ensure transparency in political donations

Over 32,000 RTI appeals pending with Central Information Commission: Govt

Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said there was a pendency of 35,178 and 38,116 RTI appeals during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively

RBI's disclosure dilemma

While the RBI must respect the spirit of freedom of expression, we need to draw a Laxman rekha, and the RTI Act should not become a tool to bypass all confidentiality requirements under other laws

2,118 branches of state-run banks closed or merged in last fiscal: RTI

As many as 2,118 branches of 10 public sector banks have either been closed or merged with other banks in the last fiscal, according to an RTI reply

Y K Sinha protected India's image abroad. Now, he must do it at home

The ex-IFS officer takes over as CIC at a time when activists believe the RTI Act has been whittled down progressively

RTI disposal rate higher during Covid period with over 8,000 cases: Govt

Union minister Jitendra Singh said RTI cases recorded a higher disposal rate during the COVID period of the last six months, compared to the same period last year, according to an official statement.

Sasikala, aide of late TN CM Jayalalitha, may be released in Jan 2021

Her probable date of release may get extended to Feb, 2022 if the in-default fine is not paid

RTI reply raises question over Franklin Templeton's wind-up move

Sebi said it had not given any prior permission to the fund house

21 of 29 state panels did not hold any RTI hearings during lockdown: Study

Only seven commissions made provision for taking up urgent matters or those related to life and liberty during the period when normal functioning was affected due to the lockdown

Budget 2020: Govt allocates Rs 9.90 crore for CIC, Right to Information Act

The CIC has also received funds under a separate head of 'CIC and PESB' with an increase of 6.95% from the last budget

How confidential should bank inspection reports be?

An emotional affirmation to disclose sensitive, confidential exchanges generically must be avoided