A first in the nation, RTI filing made easy through Akshaya centres It’s time for RTI to hop off snail mail and hop on to e-mail. The State ...
A first in the nation, RTI filing made easy through Akshaya centres
It’s time for RTI to hop off snail mail and hop on to e-mail.
The State government would soon allow online filing of RTI applications through over 2,000 Akshaya centres of Kerala IT Mission. The RTI activists managed to wrest the promise from the State government, which would ensure further transparency in the RTI system.
Officials at each centre will scan and mail the application to the department concerned, and the applicant can fetch its reply and related documents from the same Akshaya centre after the fixed time frame.
According to the State Information Commission officials, about 10 departments, including education, police, civil supplies, IT mission, IT department and Motor Vehicles Department will be brought under the online regime. More departments will be added to the network later.
The system is expected to be up and running within two weeks.
According to D.B. Binu, general secretary of Kerala RTI Federation, the State is the first to implement the facility.
“The online facilities will improve the efficacy of RTI Act implementation in the State. The long delay in getting replies can be avoided and there will be more transparency,’’ said IT Mission Director P. Balakiran. It will help more people to use RTI and the postal expenses can be avoided.
Making things easier, an applicant can pay the RTI fee of Rs.10 for each application by cash at the respective Akshaya centre. The centre would charge another Rs.10 on each application as service charge.
“It is good. People can pay the fee by cash at each centre. Though online facility is available with certain Central government departments, applicants have to pay Rs.10 using debit or credit cards. Those filing applications manually have to struggle hard to get court fee stamp or postal order for the amount,’’ said Mr. Binu.
The applicant will also have the freedom to choose the reply format in the Akshaya centre. “The reply can be forwarded by e-mail or printouts can be had. People can seek the reply in CD format too,’’ says Sreekumar Mullayil, an Alappuzha-based rights activist.” Akshaya staffers of eight districts have already been trained to handle RTI applications and the rest would get training in the coming two weeks. IT mission has already prepared software required for it.
Last week, the State Information Commission had launched online tracking facility on RTI appeals filed manually. Those who file RTI appeals can track the steps taken by the authorities online and also can goad officials to clear the matter within the stipulated time frame.
“Those who file complaints and appeals before the State Information Commission get a unique registration number. Petitioners can track the progress of respective cases by typing the number on the commission website. This will end undue delay,” said K. Rajaram Thampi, secretary of the commission.
According to Thampi, the commission has resolved 62.73 per cent of the 22,143 complaints received since January. “Among the 12,402 appeal petitions, 6,881 were disposed of. 9,741 complaint petitions were received in the same period and 7,232 among them were settled,’’ he claimed. But for the time being, online applications can be filed only through Akshaya centres and one can’t shoot questions from a personal computer in the comfort of one’s home.
The online facilities will improve the efficacy of RTI Act implementation in the State. The long delay in getting replies can be avoided and there will be more transparency.
P. Balakiran
IT Mission Director
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