RTI Applications To Prime Minister’s Office Highest In At Least Five Years

The Prime Minister’s Office received over 12,500 Right to Information applications during 2016-17, highest since 2012, according to official data. There has also been an increase in the number of appeals filed by citizens, aggrieved over the initial response to their applications from the PMO, it said.

The PMO was asked to provide details of RTI applications and appeals received by it and also those rejected by it between 2013 and 2018.

A total of 1,306 RTI applications were rejected during 2016-17 as against 2,234 and 2,795 in 2015-16 and 2014-15 respectively. As many as 1,450 such queries were rejected in 2013-14 and 1,130 in 2012-13, according to the data.

“It is stated that the rejection of applications is done as per provisions prescribed in the Right to Information Act,” the PMO said in response to the RTI query filed by a PTI correspondent.

The RTI Act allows Indian citizens to seek governance-related information from government departments in a time-bound manner. The Act has provisions to raise appeal in case the applicant is not satisfied with the response provided by the government department concerned.

“It is stated that appeals filed with this office under the RTI Act are decided on the merit of each case,” the PMO said.

The PMO, however, refused to share the total number of RTI applications and appeals pending disposal, saying the "compilation of information will disproportionately divert the public resources".