Tamil Nadu's Information Watchdog Flags Delays in RTI Replies Due to Half-Done Online Shift
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The Tamil Nadu Information Commission has raised concerns that citizens filing requests for information under the Right to Information Act are facing long delays in getting answers. The reason, according to the commission, is a poorly implemented shift from paper-based to online filing of these requests.
The RTI Act allows any citizen to ask government departments for information about their functioning, and officials called Public Information Officers are legally required to respond within 30 days. This system is meant to make government work transparent and hold officials accountable.
Some departments in the state secretariat and a few district collector offices had already started allowing people to file RTI requests online. However, the outgoing Chief Information Commissioner noted that this transition was messy and inconsistent, leading to confusion among officials handling these requests.
During hearings before the commission, several Public Information Officers admitted they were struggling to manage RTI requests through the online system. This confusion was directly causing delays, with many petitioners complaining to the commission about not receiving timely responses.
The commission found that the online filing process for both initial RTI requests and first appeals, which citizens can file if they are unhappy with the initial response, had not been properly rolled out across all government departments, including the secretariat, heads of departments, and district collectorates.
In a letter to the state's top bureaucrat, the Chief Secretary, the commission urged immediate steps to fix this. It suggested that a link to the commission's official website be added prominently so that citizens could easily file requests online through an established channel, in addition to whatever systems already exist.
The commission also referred to an existing provision in the RTI Act that requires government bodies to proactively share information with the public through various means, including the internet. The idea is that if departments publish more information on their own, citizens would not need to file as many RTI requests in the first place.
This push comes as the previous Chief Information Commissioner was set to retire, having served a three-year term since mid-2023. The letter represents one of his final efforts to address a long-standing implementation gap before leaving office.
Why it matters
The Right to Information Act is one of India's most powerful tools for citizens to hold the government accountable, but it only works if replies come on time. When the shift to online filing is done poorly, it creates confusion for both officials and citizens, undermining the very transparency the law is meant to protect. Fixing this technical and administrative gap in Tamil Nadu could serve as a model or a cautionary example for other states moving towards digital governance, showing that technology upgrades must be carefully planned and supported, not just announced.
Test yourself
1. What is the main issue raised by the Tamil Nadu Information Commission?
2. Under the RTI Act, within how many days must a Public Information Officer respond to a request?
3. Who did the Chief Information Commissioner address his letter to?
4. What problem did Public Information Officers report during commission hearings?
5. What does Section 6(1) of the RTI Act deal with?
6. What does Section 19(1) of the RTI Act allow citizens to do?
7. What did Section 4(2) of the RTI Act emphasize, according to the commission's earlier communication?
8. Which offices had already started some form of online RTI filing, according to the commission?
9. What solution did the commission suggest to make online filing easier for citizens?
10. What is the broader purpose of the RTI Act, as described in the source material?
Your notes
Source: The Hindu