Port Blair, Aug 21: Filing of RTI applications is now online in all central government ministries and departments through a web portal. Launching the facility in New Delhi this evening, Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy said other Central government organisations, including public sector undertakings, will be brought under it in the next phase.
He said the initiative is aimed at saving people’s time and energy in filing RTI applications.
The minister asked the states to replicate the online platform to empower citizens with the RTI instrument. The web address of the portal is www.rtionline.gov.in
The government had launched this exclusive portal earlier this year, only for the questions asked from the ministry of personnel. This facility was subsequently extended to other ministries, including home, health, external affairs and agriculture, President Secretariat, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Vice-President’s Office.
The portal is now open to entertain questions under the RTI Act for all the remaining ministries. The entire website is prepared in such a way that the system would provide online reply to all RTI applications.
This portal developed by NIC is a facility for Indian citizens to file online RTI applications and first appeals and also to make online payment of RTI fees.
According to the communication issued by the department of personnel and training (DoPT), the prescribed fees can be paid through Internet banking of State Bank of India and its associate banks as well as by credit or debit cards of Visa or Master, through the payment gateway of SBI linked to this sit..
The RTI Act mandates timely response (within 30 days) to citizens’ requests for government information. An information-seeker has to pay a fee of Rs 10 for getting the information. If additional fee is required, covering the cost for providing information, the CPIO will intimate the applicant about the same through the portal.
Giving details of the guidelines for information-seeker, the department said that the text of the application that can be uploaded at the prescribed column on the website was limited to 500 words only. In case, an application exceeds more than 500 words, then it can be uploaded as an attachment.
The applicant will get a unique online registration number on submission of an application for quoting the same for any future reference. (PIB)
