RTI : Now file via Internet / eMail

[ha21]

The following appeared in "Hindustan Times", Published on May 23 2007. Colleagues would find it useful for future references. Comments invited.


Title : INFORMATION IN INBOX NOW.

THE RIGHT to Information is set to take its next big leap, into the Inter- net. Watchdog body Central lnfor- mation Commission will this week ask all departments to begin accept- ing applications via e-mail, and has proposed to the prime min- ister that government-relat- ed information of any kind that can be shared with citizens - possibly tens of millions of pages - be put on the Internet. In the future, citi- zens can even look for- ward to seeking informa- tion from the government sitting at home - like making pay- ments online through credit cards. "The idea is to ease things, so that right from the time of the first application, to the appeals, no pa- per activity is involved anywhere," Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah told the Hin- dustan Times. At the commission's main office in New Delhi, paperless appeals are already possible. He said instructions will be sent out to all departments in a few days. "These are only recommenda- tory instructions, but departments usually follow them," he said. "The original application can be sent via e-mail, and the fee of Rs 10 can be sent through postal order whose number will be in the e-mail. The first and second appeals can be sent in a scanned version via e-mail," he said. The Right to Information Act, implemented in 2005, enables all citizens to seek any information from the government, with some riders related to national security and privacy concerns.

[infogirl]

I don't think this has started yet. If it has, please can someone explain the procedure.

[ooom6]

Re Watchdog body Central lnfor- mation Commission has proposed to the prime min- ister that government-relat- ed information of any kind that can be shared with citizens - possibly tens of millions of pages - be put on the Internet.
It will reduce the burden of the public information officers work as most of the information would available on net.The activists activity changes from getting information to checking the veracity of information.

[sidmis]

Originally Posted by infogirl

I don't think this has started yet. If it has, please can someone explain the procedure.

Infogirl is Right.

No such workable facility available with any Public Authority.
Even the Central Information Commission does not have a proper system in place.
So we have to wait for some time for that to come into effect.

See the following discussions.

RTI application via email

http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/2434-r...gh-e-mail.html

http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/1161-e...plication.html

[karira]

Please also read the following post:

online filing

[sagginyou]

but how poor PIO will reply whne he does not have computers, scanners, printers and most importantly manpower....
i think activist should make a contribution to it or they should explore options to donate computers to the offices...