GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF
PERSONNEL,PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
RAJYA SABHA
Review
of RTI Act
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2101 by DR. T. SUBBARAMI REDDY
(a) whether any review
has been made to assess the
working of the Right to Information (RTI) Act;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the
outcome thereto;
(c) whether the general public is facing undue
hardships in getting the information within the stipulated time-frame; and
(d) if so, the mechanism proposed to be developed by Government
in this regard?
ANSWERED ON-30.08.2012 ANSWER
Minister
of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office. (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)
(a): A
study was conducted through an independent organization to
assess the key issues and constraints in implementation of the Right to
Information Act, 2005.
(b):
The study points out that there is inadequate planning by the public
authorities in regard to supply of information; awareness about the Act in
rural areas is much less than in urban areas; awareness amongst women is much
less than men; the gap in implementation of the Act is because of lack of clear
accountability in respect of various functionaries etc. In this regard, the
study recommended measures for improving awareness on right to information;
improving convenience in filing information requests; improving efficiency of
the Information Commissions, enhancing accountability and clarity of various
stakeholders, etc.
(c):
The Act provides for imposition of penalty on the public information
officer in case the information is not supplied within the stipulated time
frame. It ensures timely supply of information.
(d):
The Government has taken steps to build the capacity of the demand and supply
side through training, on-line certificate course, and publication of guides on
the Right to Information Act. Awareness Generation has been undertaken through
print, electronic, outdoor media and workshops. An RTI Logo has been designed
and propagated widely. Apart from this, a clarificatory order was also issued
vide OM No. 1/18/2007-IR dated 21st September, 2007 impressing upon the public
authorities to disclose maximum information proactively so that citizens need
not resort to filing of RTI applications to
access information available with
the public authorities.
