No data is centrally maintained either
by Government or Central Information Commission (CIC) in respect of cases
wherein the information under RTI Act has not been provided to the applicants.
CIC adjudicates the second appeals and
complaints received in the Commission. The Right to Information Act, 2005
provides for imposition of penalty by CIC against the Central Public
Information Officer (CPIO), in pursuance of section 20 of the RTI Act. As per
the information furnished by CIC, the amount of penalty imposed on such CPIOs
for the last three years is as under:
|
Year
|
Penalty
Imposed
|
|
2013-14
|
19,25,000
|
|
2014-15
|
7,39,000
|
|
2015-16
|
10,52,500
|
Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005
mandates timely response to citizen’s request for information in order to
promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public
authority.
Review of the implementation of the
provisions of RTI Act is an ongoing process. There have been constant efforts
on part of the Government to streamline and strengthen the existing mechanisms
for successful and effective implementation of the RTI Act.
Government has taken several steps to
strengthen the regime of RTI Act, which inter-alia include the following:
i. RTI
Online Portal (https://rtionline.gov.in)
was launched in August, 2013 by D/o Personnel and
Training. As on 17.03.2017, 1840 Central Public Authorities have been aligned
to it making it convenient for citizens to file RTI requests and First Appeals
through on-line.
ii. The
Government has conducted training and capacity building programs for Public
Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities through State Government Training
Institutes for effective implementation of the RTI Act.
iii. Ministries/Departments
and other Public Authorities are proactively working towards suo-motu
disclosure and more information is put on their websites so as to reduce the
need for filing RTI applications.
This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime
Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Shri
Raju Shetty in the Lok Sabha today.
****
KSD/NK/RS-3297
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