What is the Right to Information Act (RTI)?

RTI or Right to Information Act is a fundamental right and is an aspect of Article 19 (1)(a) of the Indian Constitution.

Right to Information replaced the Freedom of Information Act, 2002. RTI helps Indians receive information about the government in a systemic, time-constrained and hassle-free manner by enabling them to question certain delays in projects and accounts of spending from the taxpayers money in various projects.

Why RTI?

In 2005, the central government enacted the Right to Information Act, which empowers Indian citizens to request information, which must be under the ambit of public knowledge, from the offices and departments of the state or central governments. The Act gives people the right to ask pertinent questions to the Centre and its public utility service providers, thereby enforcing more transparency, accountability in the system. The Act aims to achieve a more corruption-free country. The act also imposes fines if the government authorities delay in their response to the citizen in the stipulated time. RTI has been upheld by the Supreme Court in a number of cases, another prime example being the PUCL vs Union of India, 2013 where the apex court directed the Election Commission of India to provide 'None of the Above' option to voters using EVMs. The court had held that if the ECI failed to provide the option not only that would be ultra vires to the main statute of the Conduct of the Election Rules but would also violate Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

What type of information can we seek under the RTI Act?

Any Indian citizen is free to seek answers from the Centre or state government like applying for a delayed I-T refund, driving license or passport, or details of an ongoing or completed infrastructure project. Citizens can also seek information of the various relief funds created by the government. The act also enables students to get copies of answer sheets from the universities under this Act.

Exemptions under the RTI Act

Information pertaining to internal security, relations with foreign nations, intellectual property rights, cabinet discussions are exempted from RTI.

1. Click on the submit request button to file RTI.
2. Guidelines for use of RTI ONLINE PORTAL screen will be displayed on clicking the button. Various guidelines for using the RTI online portal will be displayed. After reading the GUIDELINES FOR USE OF RTI ONLINE PORTAL the user will then have to tick on' I have read and understood the above guidelines.
3. Following which, an Online RTI Request Form screen will be displayed. Users can then select which department/ministry the RTI will be filed for.
4. Users filing the RTI will receive SMS alerts if the phone number is provided.
5. Limit for Text for RTI request application is 3,000 characters. If the text exceeds 3,000 characters, then the application can be uploaded in the supporting document field.
6. Make payment by clicking on the Make Payment button after all the necessary details are filled.
7. There are several modes of paying the application fees, such as: internet banking, ATM-cum-debit card or credit card. However, it must be noted that BPL (below poverty level) applicants need not pay any fees.
8. After the payment process is completed, applicants will be redirected back to RTI Online Portal.
9. The applicant will get an email and sms alert upon submission of the application.

In 1987, a few labourers in Rajasthan were refused their wages on charges of poor performance. Mazdoor Kissan Shakti Sanghatan (MKSS), an activist group, founded by Aruna Roy, fought for these workers and demanded they be paid fair and equal wages. After a series of protests, the MKSS procured the workers performance records which also brought to light the corruption that existed among the officials. Provoked by such discrepancies, the MKSS protested for Right to Information. The protest soon took momentum that turned into a national event leading to the passing of the Freedom of Information Act 2002, which became the RTI Act, 2005.