Filing queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has become a matter of minutes with the C-DAC (formerly National Centre for Software Technology) and CIC (Central Information Commission) launching an online system for submission of appeals. Now all Internet and tech savvy RTI users can file their complaints and appeals online.
The RTI Act was passed by Parliament in 2005 for promoting transparency and accountability in the functioning of government departments. Every department has a Public Information Officer (PIO) to whom RTI applications can be submitted. However, if the user does not get the information or receives incomplete information, he can file first an appeal with the appellate authority within the same department. In case the applicant still remains unsatisfied, he can file a second appeal to their respective information commission.
Now, the applicants will just have to log on to the website of CDAC (http://www.cdacmumbai.in/index.php/cdacmumbai/rti) or the CIC webpage (http://rti.india.gov.in/rti_direct_complaint_lodging.php) and fill in the details. Filling of the form is very easy. The user has to just fill mandatory fields like name, address, citizenship status, ministry, department or public authority that the appeal is against. The applicant may also fill other details like whether he has applied to any PIO for information related to their complaint and whether the issue at hand is a matter of life or liberty. The CIC website also lets you upload any supporting documents and if the complainant is Below Poverty Line.
The applicants will also be able to check the status of their complaints online. The online system would help them save both time and resources, ending dependence on the postal department.
Malcolm Almeida
mosesgomes
