Lok Sabha Question No. 2484 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-11
Subject: RTI Applications
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: PREM DAS RAI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2484 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2016)

## RTI APPLICATIONS

## 2484. SHRI PREM DAS RAI

## Will  the  Minister  of  INFORMATION  AND  BROADCASTING  be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of applications received in his Ministry under the Right to Information (RTI) Act during the last three years and the current year, department-wise;
- (b) the number of applications in respect of which information has been furnished;
- (c) the number of applications on which information was not given in time along with the reasons for not providing information timely;
- (d) the action taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to provide information in time?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## {COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)}

- (a) The number  of RTI applications received in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (Main Secretariat) during the last three years and the current year is as under:

| Year 2013   | 1926                    |
|-------------|-------------------------|
| Year 2014   | 1832                    |
| Year 2015   | 1870                    |
| Year 2016   | 143 (Upto January 2016) |

(b) The number of RTI applications in respect of which information has been furnished within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application is as under:

| Year 2013   | 1741                    |
|-------------|-------------------------|
| Year 2014   | 1475                    |
| Year 2015   | 1473                    |
| Year 2016   | 106 (Upto January 2016) |

(c) The number of RTI applications in respect of which information was not given within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application is as under:

| Year 2013   | 185                            |
|-------------|--------------------------------|
| Year 2014   | 357                            |
| Year 2015   | 397                            |
| Year 2016   | 37 (pending upto January 2016) |

The  reasons  for  not  providing  information  timely  included  the information being not readily available, the information being voluminous and  scattered  in  various  files  and  lack  of  clarity  about  the  information sought etc.

(d) & (e) As per the Right to Information Act, 2005, it is mandatory on the part of Public Information Officer either to provide the information or reject the request for any of the reasons specified by the RTI Act within 30 days of receipt of the request. However, information concerning life or liberty of a person has to be provided in forty-eight hours of the receipt of request.

Similarly, as per the RTI Act, an appeal shall be disposed of within 30 days on the receipt of the appeal by the First Appellate Authority or within  such  extended  period  not  exceeding  a  total  of  45  days  from  the date of filing thereof, as the case may be, for reasons to be recorded in writing.

The Act, however, does not prescribe time limit for disposal of 2 nd appeal / complaint by the Central Information Commission.

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