I
Government: New Delhi: Friday, 19 September 2014.
RTI users may
now use the facility of electronic postal orders, e-IPO to file their
applications for seeking information from public authorities under the state
governments also, if a proposal from the Centre is accepted by the states.
The
Department of Personnel and Training, nodal ministry for RTI matters, has
written to state governments to explore the option of providing e-IPO facility
to citizens to pay the fee of their RTI application.
The facility
which helped Indians living abroad to file RTI applications during e-IPO was
extended to citizens residing in India on February 13, 2014.
"Department
of posts has now proposed that the feasibility of extending this facility to
the state government(s) also, where IPO is one of the of the modes of payment
of RTI application fee, may be explored," the DoPT wrote to all the Chief
Secretaries of states recently.
RTI activist
Commodore (Retd) Lokesh Batra has given number of representations for extending
the facility for public authorities under state governments.
"I
humbly propose Secretary (Posts) and Secretary (P) to consider extending e-IPO
Facility to the states whose RTI rules permit payment of RTI fee through Indian
Postal Order (IPO)," he had said in one of the communications on the
issue.
The e-IPO
facilitates RTI applicants seeking information from Central Public Information
Officers (CPIOs) under the RTI Act, 2005.
Debit or
Credit Cards of any bank powered by Visa or Master can be used to purchase
e-IPO. This facility is only for purchasing an Indian Postal Order (IPO)
electronically.
An e-IPO so
generated must be used only once with an RTI application. To check any multiple
use of an e-IPO, the public authority shall maintain a record of those received
by it.
To use the
facility, a user needs to get registered at the website -
www.epostoffice.gov.in. He has to then select the ministry or department from
whom he desires to seek the information under the RTI Act and the e-IPO so
generated is to be used to seek information from that particular office only.