RTI filed seeking details on utilisation of Rs 5 crore MPLADS funds in Inner Manipur

Imphal Times: Manipur: Saturday, 03 January 2026.

Social activist Oinam Robart Singh has filed a Right to Information application seeking details on the utilisation of Rs 5 crore under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) allocated to Inner Manipur Member of Parliament Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam for the financial year 2024–25.
The application was submitted to the Public Information Officer of Imphal West district, seeking transparency on the planning, implementation, and execution of works sanctioned under the MPLADS. The applicant has sought a comprehensive list of projects approved during the period, along with details of works completed so far.
In his application, Oinam Robart Singh has requested copies of work orders, utilisation certificates, completion reports, and particulars of the implementing agencies, wherever available. He has also sought information on the amounts sanctioned for each project, the expenditure incurred, and details of any complaints received or audits conducted in connection with the utilisation of the funds.
The applicant, whose address is listed as Bashikhong Torban Leikai in Imphal East district, has requested that the information be provided either in hard copy or through electronic means, and has furnished contact details for the same.
Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, the Congress Member of Parliament from Inner Manipur, has earlier inaugurated several projects funded under the MPLADS, including drinking water plants and other public facilities in different parts of Imphal. The filing of the RTI application comes amid growing public scrutiny over the utilisation of MPLADS funds in Manipur, which has also been reflected in recent discussions on social media platforms.

Denial of limestone export data to Bangladesh justified no larger public interest CIC

 The Week: New Delhi: Saturday, 03 January 2026.
The Central Information Commission has upheld the denial of exporter-wise details of limestone sold to Bangladesh from Meghalaya, noting that the data attracts exemption under the commercial confidence clause.

It said such information could potentially harm the competitive position of the exporters concerned.
The transparency panel also noted that there was no larger public interest involved, which could override Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act, which exempts disclosure of information that could harm the competitive position of third parties.
RTI applicant W Mathew Mawdkhap had sought "the name and address of the exporters who exported limestone to Bangladesh through Bholaganj Land Customs Station, E Khasi Hills, during the financial year 2023-24" from the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Shillong Customs Division, which was denied, citing Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act.
His first appeal was also dismissed, following which he approached the Central Information Commission (CIC) with his second appeal and challenged the first two orders.
Dismissing his appeal, Information Commissioner Vinod Kumar Tiwari said details sought were related to the names and addresses of exporters and the quantity of limestone exported to Bangladesh during the financial year 2023-24.
Such exporter-wise trade data, the Commission held, "constitutes commercial information that is ordinarily treated as confidential within commercial and regulatory frameworks".
The CIC noted that disclosure of exporter-specific trade volumes could "provide their competitors with strategic insight into their commercial activities" and potentially harm their competitive position.
"Such information, by its very nature, contains business-sensitive particulars," the order said.
The CIC further observed that regulatory authorities receive commercial information from private entities in a fiduciary capacity as part of statutory compliance.
"Releasing such information indiscriminately in the public domain would undermine the trust and confidentiality expected in such interactions," it said.
During the hearing, the appellant did not appear before the Commission and failed to place any material on record to demonstrate an overriding public interest, Tiwari pointed out.
"In the absence of any such justification, the Commission finds no reason to disturb the concurrent findings of the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) and the First Appellate Authority (FAA)," the order said.
The customs department submitted that exporter-wise limestone export data to Bangladesh is not meant for public dissemination unless required by law or disclosed with the consent of the concerned third parties.
Finding no infirmity in the denial of information, the Commission held that the exemption invoked was "legally sustainable" and dismissed the appeal.
Trade between India's northeastern region and Bangladesh traditionally involves items such as limestone and stone chips.
Meghalaya, which is rich in mineral resources, exports limestone and boulders to Bangladesh, and shares a 443-km-long international border with the neighbouring country, making cross-border mineral trade an important economic activity in the state.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)

Awareness programme on RTI Act held in Eluru

The Hindu: National: Saturday, 03 January 2026.

An awareness programme was organised in Eluru to mark 20 years since the implementation of the Right to Information Act (RTI) and to highlight the importance of transparency and citizens’ rights, on Friday (January 01, 2026).
Speaking on the occasion, Appellate Authority under the RTI Act and District Forest Officer of Eluru district P.V. Sandeep Reddy said that every citizen should be aware of the provisions of Act to effectively exercise their right. He emphasised that the Act plays a vital role in strengthening democracy and ensuring accountability in governance.
As part of the programme, Mr. Reddy held a meeting with Public Information Officers (PIOs) and staff under his jurisdiction and explained the objectives, procedures, and responsibilities involved in implementing the Act. He also issued several guidelines to ensure timely and transparent disposal of RTI applications.
To mark the anniversary, an awareness seminar was followed by a rally from Ameenapet through Eluru town to educate the public on the significance of the RTI Act. Public Information Officers, departmental staff, and public participated in large numbers, making the programme a success.

‘Who used CM Bhagwant Mann’s chopper?’ RTI activist Manik Goyal, 9 others booked for social media posts with ‘distorted assertions’ : Written by Divya Goyal

The Indian Express: Chandigarh: Friday, 02 January 2026.
Manik Goyal claims the FIR is an attempt to stifle dissent and hide details about the unauthorised use of the aircraft during CM Bhagwant Mann's visit to Japan.

Ludhiana cybercrime police booked 10 people, including RTI
activist Manik Goyal, over Facebook posts questioning the
use of CM Bhagwant Mann’s helicopter during his foreign trip.
(Express Photo)

The Ludhiana police registered an FIR last month against 10 people, including RTI activist Manik Goyal, for allegedly posting “distorted and unverified content” after several Facebook posts questioned who was using Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s chopper while he was away on an official visit to Japan.
The FIR was registered at Ludhiana’s cybercrime police station on December 12, but surfaced Thursday. Besides Goyal, it names social media influencers Mintu Gurusaria, Gagan Ramgarhia, Harman Farmer, Mandeep Makkar, Gurlal S Mann, Snammu Dhaliwal, Arjan, Deep Mangil, and Lok Awaz TV.
Mann was on an official visit to Japan and South Korea from December 1 to 10. The accused allegedly posted visuals of his flying chopper purportedly taken during this period and questioned who was using it in the CM’s absence.
The case was filed on the complaint of Inspector Satbir Singh under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 353 (1) [making, publishing or circulating any statement, false information, rumour, or report, including through electronic means], 353 (2) [spreading false statements, rumors, or alarming news with intent to incite hatred or enmity between groups based on religion, race, etc], and 61 (2) [criminal conspiracy].
Vaibhav Sehgal, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cybercrime), Ludhiana Police, said, “The probe in the matter is ongoing, and the FIR has been registered after preliminary investigation into the social media posts uploaded by the accused persons.”
Erroneous interpretation of flight-tracking data, claims FIR
According to the FIR, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, Inspector Satbir Singh, in his statement, said that “social media monitoring cell flagged several Facebook accounts which circulated objectionable posts”.
“A preliminary examination of the uploaded contents reveals that it comprises distorted, unverified and patently incorrect assertions pertaining to the deployment and utilisation of a helicopter allegedly associated with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab. The content is predicted upon erroneous and interpretation of flight-tracking data, selective presentation of extraneous visuals and insinuatory remarks bereft of factual foundation, thereby constructing a false, misleading and deliberately fabricated narrative,” reads the FIR.
“The aforesaid posts seek to create an impression that the helicopter in question was allegedly engaged in unauthorised or suspicious activities during the period when Honourable CM was on an official foreign visit,” it adds.
The FIR states that these insinuations are unfounded and contradict official records. The Civil Aviation Department of Punjab stated that the helicopter in question was utilised by an individual holding a constitutional office, and the person was duly authorised and empowered to use the aircraft for official purposes on the specified dates, it says.
“The pervasive circulation of this misleading material further poses a substantive risk of undermining institutional integrity, engendering social polarisation, and catalysing the spread of additional unverified narratives, thereby affecting public order and administrative harmony in the sensitive border state of Punjab,” adds the FIR.
The FIR further states, “Prima facie, the actions of accused persons constitute a cognisable offence.. The genuineness, accuracy and provenance of the impugned content shall be comprehensively examined during the investigation.”
Govt has given us a New Year gift: Manik Goyal
Reacting to the FIR, Mansa-based Manik Goyal said, “We have received a New Year gift from the Punjab government, a false FIR against me and others. We have been booked because we simply questioned who was using CM’s official chopper in his absence. It has been four years since the AAP government has not been replying to the RTIs related to the CM’s chopper, and if we ask on social media, then they register fake FIRs.”
“Earlier, we were also intimidated when we had asked some questions on tenders worth crores for buying an aircraft. What is there to hide regarding this helicopter and aircraft that the government is so scared to talk about? This is the same AAP government that used to talk about freedom of speech and expression and the right to dissent. Today, they are registering FIRs for asking questions,” he said.

RTI: Four of 10 faculty posts vacant across 11 AIIMS

Times of India: New Delhi: Friday, 02 January 2026.

At AIIMS Delhi, 524 faculty posts are vacant out of a
sanctioned strength of 1,306

Nearly four out of every 10 sanctioned faculty posts remain vacant across 11 AIIMS, exposing a deep staffing crunch at India's premier public hospitals even as patient loads continue to rise. RTI replies accessed by TOI show that 1,600 of 4,099 faculty positions - about 39% - are lying vacant, raising concerns about the impact on patient care, specialist services and medical education.
The data, compiled from RTI responses received from 11 All India Institute of Medical Sciences across different states, point to a widespread shortage cutting across both older, established AIIMS and newer institutes.
At AIIMS Delhi - the country's oldest and largest AIIMS and a national referral centre for complex cases - 524 faculty posts are vacant out of a sanctioned strength of 1,306, across key departments such as medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, paediatrics, neurology, oncology and emergency care.
Several newer AIIMS are facing even higher shortages. AIIMS Jodhpur is worst hit, operating with 46.7% of faculty posts vacant (189 of 405). AIIMS Gorakhpur follows with 45.5% vacancies, while AIIMS Jammu reports a 44.3% shortfall. More than 40% of posts are also unfilled at AIIMS Kalyani and AIIMS Bilaspur. AIIMS Nagpur has 137 vacant posts out of 373 sanctioned positions, amounting to 36.7% vacancies.
Other institutes show relatively lower - but still significant - shortages. AIIMS Bathinda is short of 37.4% of its faculty strength, AIIMS Raipur 34.8%, AIIMS Bhubaneswar 26%, and AIIMS Bhopal 25.6%.
Health experts warn that prolonged faculty shortages at teaching hospitals affect outpatient services, surgery schedules, ICU supervision and the training of undergraduate and postgraduate doctors, as senior faculty juggle clinical, academic and administrative roles.
Responding to staffing concerns, Rima Dada, media cell in-charge at AIIMS Delhi, said recruitment efforts were ongoing. "Interviews are underway, and the process of filling vacant posts is being carried out regularly," she said.
AIIMS hospitals cater to lakhs of patients every year, many referred from district and state hospitals for complex care. The RTI data accessed by TOI underline a widening gap between rapid infrastructure expansion and the pace of faculty recruitment, raising questions about whether India's flagship medical institutions are being staffed adequately to meet rising healthcare demand.

Delhi school health clinics stalled: 12 out of 20 non-operational after 3 years

India Today: New Delhi: Friday, 02 January 2026.
The initiative for health clinics in 20 Delhi government schools has faced significant delays, with over half remaining non-functional three years after launch.

In 2022, a pilot project introduced health clinics in 20 government schools across Delhi to deliver essential health services to students. The project was designed to ensure complete health screening and sustained care for all children enrolled in these schools during a three-month period.
"Health clinics were set up in 20 government schools across Delhi as part of a pilot project in 2022 to provide health services to students, but have failed to become operational in 12 schools even after three years," according to an RTI reply.
This information was obtained from the Directorate of Education through an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The project was launched in 2022 during the Aam Aadmi Party regime by then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and health minister Satyendar Jain.
CLINICS AIMED FOR HOLISTIC STUDENT HEALTH
The programme mandated 100 per cent health screening of all enroled students within three months and featured a care model where specialist doctors treated identified conditions, ensuring monitoring from diagnosis through to treatment.
These clinics intend to provide regular check-ups for children in government schools, along with OPD facilities, first aid, and medicines.
Additionally, the project aimed to provide mental and emotional well-being support to children in government schools.
According to Shalini Verma, Head of Office, School Health Scheme, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Delhi government, the Directorate handed over 20 portacabins to the School Health Scheme on July 6, 2022, and seven MBBS doctors, 20 Public Health Nursing Officers (PHNOs), and 20 Nursing Officers were appointed for these 20 'health clinics' on July 8, 2022.
DELAYS AND STAFF SHORTFALLS IN IMPLEMENTATION
Although 20 schools were chosen on a pilot basis, RTI data indicate that clinics in most of these locations remain non-functional.
The Government Co-educational Senior Secondary School in Rani Bagh and Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Anandwas reported that while the clinics were constructed, they have not become operational.
The situation is similar in several other schools, including Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Chandpur Majra, Rajkiya Co-educational Senior Secondary School in Shakurpur, Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Karala and Wazirpur JJ Colony, where clinics remain non-functional due to the absence of doctors, nursing officers, and necessary staff.
Additionally, there are two other government schools where these health clinics were constructed, but no information was provided regarding their status.
(With PTI inputs)

CIC Dismisses 15 RTI Complaints Against J&K Jal Shakti Department, Finds No Malafide or RTI Violations

 Indian Masterminds: Jammu: Thursday, 1^St January 2026.
All RTI Complaints Against Jal Shakti Dept Dismissed by CIC. Finds RTI Misuse, Vindicates Jal Shakti Department in JJM Row

The Jal Shakti (Public Health Engineering) Department of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has received complete vindication from the Central Information Commission (CIC), which has dismissed all 15 Right to Information (RTI) complaints filed against it by retired IAS officer Ashok Kumar Parmar. The Commission’s ruling exposes the motivated and obstructive nature of the allegations levelled against the department and firmly upholds its conduct as lawful and transparent.
CIC Finds No Malafide Intent or Withholding of Information
In its detailed order, the Central Information Commission categorically held that there was no malafide intent, no deliberate suppression of information, and no violation of the RTI Act by the Jal Shakti Department. The Commission recorded that the department acted strictly within the framework of the law while responding to the RTI applications.
Information Already Available in Public Domain
The CIC noted that much of the information sought by Parmar was already available in the public domain through official government and departmental websites. The department had duly complied with its statutory obligations by providing the relevant web links and access details, thereby fulfilling the requirements of transparency under the RTI Act.
No Obligation to Create or Compile Data: CIC
Reaffirming settled legal principles, the Commission made it clear that a public authority is not required to create, compile, or fabricate information merely to satisfy the suspicions or narrative of an RTI applicant. Citing authoritative judgments of the Supreme Court, the CIC observed that the RTI Act is confined to the disclosure of existing records only.
The Commission underlined that the Act cannot be stretched to compel departments to generate new datasets, conduct forensic compilations, or divert administrative resources in a manner that hampers governance and public service delivery.
Ongoing House Committee Inquiry Noted
The CIC also took cognisance of the fact that a House Committee has already been constituted to verify the works executed under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), and its report is still awaited. Despite this ongoing institutional scrutiny, Parmar appeared before the Committee and made sensational allegations of financial bungling amounting to Rs 6,000 crore in pipe procurement.
Official Records Contradict Inflated Allegations
Official records placed before the authorities clearly establish that the actual procurement under the Jal Jeevan Mission stands at approximately Rs 3,000 crore, effectively contradicting the exaggerated figures cited by Parmar. The Commission noted this discrepancy while assessing the credibility and intent behind the complaints.
RTI Cannot Be Used to Settle Personal Scores
The CIC further observed that the complaints were deeply intertwined with personal and service-related grievances of the complainant, which are already pending adjudication before appropriate judicial forums. The Commission reiterated in unequivocal terms that the RTI Act is not meant to be used as a tool for settling personal vendettas, pressurising departments, or conducting parallel trials through speculative and suspicion-driven queries.
Allegations Impacted Jal Jeevan Mission Progress
It is noteworthy that works under the Jal Jeevan Mission have remained stalled for nearly the last one year. The sustained campaign of allegations, inflated claims, and repeated complaints has directly undermined the pace of implementation of this flagship public welfare programme aimed at providing potable drinking water to households across Jammu and Kashmir.
No Case for Penalty; All Complaints Dismissed
After a comprehensive examination of all aspects of the matter, the Central Information Commission concluded that there was no case whatsoever for the imposition of any penalty. Accordingly, all 15 complaints were dismissed in their entirety, delivering a decisive blow to the false narrative sought to be built against the Jal Shakti Department and its officers.
The CIC’s ruling stands as a strong reaffirmation of lawful governance, responsible use of the RTI framework, and protection of public institutions from motivated and disruptive misuse of transparency laws.

India’s Data Blackout 2025: RTI Amendments, ECI and Judiciary Evading Transparency : Anjali Bhardwaj & Amrita Johri

The Wire: National: Thursday, 1^St January 2026.
As 2025 drew to a close, we witnessed how crucial legislations were brought to Parliament in complete secrecy, without any pre-legislative transparency or public consultation.

Click Here to Watch Video

From amendments to the RTI Act through the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and delays in appointment of information commissioners to questions over functioning of the Election Commission and judicial corruption, in this episode of The Wire's Jaanne Bhi Do Yaaro, Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri discuss how peoples’ right to information fared in 2025.
As 2025 drew to a close, we witnessed how crucial legislations like the Viksit Bharat-G Ram G Act to replace MGNREGA and the SHANTI Act to allow private companies in the nuclear sector were brought to Parliament in complete secrecy, without any pre-legislative transparency or public consultation. These laws which will have grave implications on peoples’ lives across the country were passed at lightening speed.
In December, after repeated orders of the Supreme Court, the government finally appointed the Chief and eight Information Commissioners to the Central Information Commission. The CIC which had been functioning with just two information commissioners saw its backlog rise significantly leading to people having to wait for years to have their appeals/complaints heard.
The CIC will finally function at full strength after a period of nearly nine years – after December 2016. The condition is several state information commissions continues to be dire; the Jharkhand information commission remains defunct since 2020. We discuss the key findings of the report card of Information Commissions by Satark Nagrik Sangathan which shows how governments are systematically undermining the RTI Act by keeping posts of information commissioners vacant.
In November 2025, the government operationalised several provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act including Section 44(3) – which amends and fundamentally weakens the RTI Act. The amendment made to section 8(1)(j) of RTI Act seeks to exempt all personal information from disclosure and could block access to critical information needed for seeking accountability (eg. names of contractors or wilful loan defaulters). The amendment does away with the exceptions carved out within Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act wherein personal information could be denied only if it had no relationship to any public activity or public interest; or would cause unwarranted invasion of privacy.
In fact, in August 2025, even before the Data Protection Act was notified, it was invoked by the Delhi high court to deny information related to PM Modi’s degree which led to many questioning if this was why the RTI law was amended.
In 2025, in a series of press conferences, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged large-scale “vote chori” in elections, accusing the Election Commission of enabling voter fraud by allowing inflated, duplicate, bogus entries and targeted deletions in electoral rolls. The Election Commission’s response ranged from rejecting the contentions as baseless to demanding that the allegations be submitted on affidavit.
In the video, we discuss whether the ECI is evading accountability by withholding crucial information and its impact on public trust. The ECI has refused to publicly disclose searchable voter lists and CCTV footage from polling stations, which are essential for verifying irregularities, claiming that these will undermine the privacy of voters. In December 2024, the Election Commission and the Union government brought an amendment to Rule 93(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict public access to election-related records.
In 2025, the ECI initiated a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across the country – requiring all 100 crore voters to undergo a verification, including furnishing documents regarding their identity, age and citizenship. We discuss how the decision to carry out the SIR was taken in complete secrecy, with no prior public information or consultation with people or political parties. Crucial documents which justify this mammoth verification of voter lists, are not being made public by the ECI.
The year started with the viral video of money burning at the residence of Justice Verma – a judge of the Delhi high court. It brought issues of judicial transparency and accountability in the national spotlight. The Supreme Court mandated that all judges place their asset declarations on the court’s website. We discuss the need for transparency to address corruption in the judiciary.
In 2025, the phenomenon of “No Data Available” continued unabated. From crucial information about the air quality in the country to GDP calculations – on several critical issues, either the government evaded accountability by claiming data was not available or there were serious questions about the quality of data put out by the government.
(This article went live on December thirty-first, two thousand twenty five, at forty-five minutes past five in the evening.)

CS directs speedy recovery of RTI penalties from SPIOs

Tribune India: Chandigarh: Thursday, 1^St January 2026.

Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi has directed all administrative secretaries to ensure speedy recovery of penalties imposed on State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) under Section 20(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Chairing a review meeting here on Tuesday, the Chief Secretary instructed that the penalties be recovered in monthly instalments directly from the SPIOs concerned.
Rastogi emphasised that strict compliance with the provisions of the RTI Act was essential to ensure transparency and accountability in governance. He reiterated that timely disposal of RTI applications and adherence to statutory timelines was a collective responsibility of all departments to uphold the spirit of the Act and strengthen public trust in the administration.

Over 12,900 govt employees took Ladki Bahin benefits despite exclusion norms : Written by Vallabh Ozarkar, Information accessed under RTI reveals that over 12,900 government employees received funds as beneficiaries.

The Indian Express: Mumbai: Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
With this latest figure, the total number of ineligible beneficiaries under the scheme has now crossed one lakh.

Currently, nearly 2.4 crore women receive benefits under
the Ladki Bahin Yojana. (File Photo)

In A glaring oversight of funds under Ladki Bahin Yojana being availed by ineligible beneficiaries across the state, fresh information accessed under RTI reveals that over 12,900 government employees received funds as beneficiaries of the scheme that explicitly excluded salaried government staff. The RTI further reveals that the Women and Child Development Department has also directed officials of concerned departments to initiate action against such employees.
According to the latest information accessed under the Right to Information Act by The Indian Express, the Women and Child Development Department has admitted that 12,915 government employees received the monthly Rs 1,500 assistance under the scheme. The current numbers show a significant jump in such beneficiaries as earlier. WCD minister Aditi Tatkare had said that there were nearly 2,400 government employees who had wrongly availed benefits.
The WCD department, in the RTI response said, “Instructions have been issued to concerned offices to initiate action against such employees for wrongfully availing benefits.”
With this latest figure, the total number of ineligible beneficiaries under the scheme has now crossed one lakh.
The disclosure builds on an earlier RTI report published by The Indian Express in October, which had revealed that 12,431 men and 77,980 ineligible women (aggregating to over 90,000 illegal beneficiaries) had received benefits under the scheme, resulting in wrongful disbursal of at least Rs 164.52 crore.
However, the latest RTI reply received on December 16 this year reveals that the figure is substantially higher and has increased three-fold to 12,915, pointing to deeper verification failures in the implementation of the flagship welfare programme.
The WCD Department has acknowledged that benefits taken by government employees were irregular and has formally communicated with relevant departments regarding possible recovery and disciplinary action. The department, however, did not provide details on recovery proceedings with regards to previous instances of ineligible women beneficiaries.
The RTI reply also reiterates that men were paid benefits from July 2024 to July 2025, after which payments were stopped. Similarly, government employees continued to receive benefits until they were identified during subsequent verification exercises.
The scheme, launched in June 2024, provides Rs 1,500 per month to women aged 21–65 years from families earning less than Rs 2.5 lakh annually. It was rolled out months ahead of the Assembly elections and drew criticism from the Opposition, which labelled it a pre-election populist measure.
Despite admitting largescale inclusion errors, the WCD Department has said that reason-wise, department-wise or district-wise compiled data on ineligible beneficiaries and recoveries is not available. Eligibility and disqualification decisions were taken based on government resolutions issued on June 28, September 3 and September 12, 2024, it said.
In the October RTI response, the department had admitted that no recovery process had been initiated at that stage, even as verification had uncovered misrepresentation of income, multiple beneficiaries within households, and government employees claiming benefits despite being ineligible.
Verification still underway
On August 25, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare had stated on X that preliminary data suggested nearly 26 lakh beneficiaries may not meet eligibility criteria, following which district-level physical verification was initiated. Disbursal to 26.34 lakh suspect accounts was later suspended pending verification.
Officials had then described the irregularities as “the tip of the iceberg,” warning that numbers could rise further as scrutiny continued.
A statewide e-KYC verification drive has since been launched to prevent further misuse.
The state government has made the e-KYC process mandatory for eligible women under this scheme, with a deadline set for December 31.
Currently, nearly 2.4 crore women receive benefits under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, costing the state exchequer nearly Rs 3,700 crore per month.
The state government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 36,000 crore for the scheme.

RTI Reply Sparks Row as Delhi Transport Corporation Issues Bizarre Response on Free Bus Rides for Women

illustrated Daily: New Delhi: Wednesday, 31 December 2025.

An RTI query seeking routine details on women’s free travel scheme under the Government of NCT of Delhi draws an irrelevant reply, raising questions over transparency and accountability.
Whether it is the Government of India or a State Government, the Right to Information Act (RTI) often becomes a major headache for the administration whenever citizens seek information that the authorities find difficult to disclose publicly.

A similar case has surfaced in the final month of 2025 involving the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), which functions under the Government of NCT of Delhi.
In this case, an RTI applicant had sought simple and routine information related to the free travel facility being provided to women in DTC buses. However, instead of furnishing the required details, DTC issued a strange and irrelevant reply, clearly reflecting the Transport Department’s casual and irresponsible attitude towards RTI, which is a constitutionally guaranteed mechanism for transparency.
The letter sent by DTC through Speed Post is being reproduced here verbatim so that the public can see for themselves the deliberate negligence shown by the department.
Interestingly, the RTI application did not even ask for proof of DTC’s negligence. Yet, without being asked, DTC ended up supplying evidence of its own negligence in its reply.
It is now quite natural that the matter may proceed to the First Appeal and thereafter to the Second Appeal under the RTI Act. If that happens, the outcome of the appeal proceedings will be worth watching.

Has your medicine maker been inspected? Can’t tell you, say drug regulators, CDSCO claimed that the information was exempt under the RTI Act.

The Times of India: National: Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
Inspection of drug manufacturing sites in India is confidential information that is exempt from public disclosure under the Right to Information according to the drug regulatory authorities. Though the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) is supposed to have started risk-based inspection of drug-making facilities since December 2022, when asked how many such inspections have been conducted each month since then the CDSCO claimed that the information was exempt under the RTI Act. However, retired and active drug controllers pointed out that there was no blanket exemption on this information.

“The public has the right to seek information on how many inspections have been conducted each year along with the dates of the inspections, the name of company and the names of the drug inspectors who conducted the inspection. Drug inspectors are public functionaries paid with public money to ensure safety of drugs in public interest. Why shouldn’t this information be available in the public domain, on the website of every state drug controller?” asked Dr KV Babu, ophthalmologist and RTI activist, who sought the information.
Section 8(1) (d) cited by most drug authorities to deny information “exempts information the disclosure of which would prejudice the commercial interests of a third party, unless the public interest in disclosure is served”. The law clearly states that public interest overrides commercial interests.
Section 8(1) (h) exempts “information that would impede the investigation or prosecution of offenders”. “This would only apply to those inspections which resulted in cases being filed as the drug authorities can claim that revealing the inspection reports could affect the case in court. But barring those inspection reports, the details of all other inspections can be made public. However, since there is no rule mandating the disclosure, the default mode is to not reveal it,” said an assistant drug controller who did not want to be named.
Section (g) protects “information that would endanger life or physical safety, or identify sources of information for law enforcement”. “How does revealing this apply to information regarding inspection of drug-making facilities? If anything, not revealing it is endangering the life of the public who consume the medicines,” said Dr Babu.
CDSCO’s drug alert list released every month shows that there are companies whose products are repeatedly found to be substandard with serious failings such as the presence of bacterial endotoxins and sterility issues in Ringer Lactate intravenous fluids. The products of one such company, Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals, killed six new mothers in Karnataka, after which it was shut down. However, the Ringer Lactate fluid produced by this company was found contaminated with bacterial endotoxins in April 2020, again in August 2023, October 2024 and in November 2024 before it was connected to the deaths in Karnataka. Samples tested in December 2024 and those tested in January and February 2025 were also found similarly contaminated. However, with no data on inspections in the public domain, there is no way of knowing if drug control authorities ever inspected this unit before the deaths occurred or when they last inspected it or what they found if they did.
Similarly, samples of yet another manufacturer of Ringer Lactate fluid, Swaroop Pharmaceuticals in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh being sold in Odisha were found to be contaminated with bacterial endotoxins in July, August, September, October and December 2022. In January 2023, samples of the product lifted in Mizoram, in February in Odisha and again in December 2023 were found to be similarly contaminated. Yet there is no information in the public domain on whether inspections were conducted of the manufacturing facility of this company and what was found to be the reason for the repeated contamination. There is no information regarding any risk-based inspection of manufacturers of Ringer lactate fluid following the deaths in Karnataka.
“Earlier, every unit had to be inspected once a year by state drug inspectors and every two years the licence had to be renewed after the unit was inspected to see if they are fit for renewal. This was diluted in the name of ‘ease of business’ and now inspections need to be done only once every three years. Framing of regulations ought to be patient/consumer centric and not to suit the business,” said Ravi Uday Bhaskar Director-General of All India Drug Controller Officers Confederation.
Incidentally, there is no prioritization of inspection of manufacturing sites, from where drugs originate. Most of the drug regulation is in the form of lifting samples from an estimated 1.7 lakh pharmacies, stockists, distributors etc scattered across the country and getting them tested. In contrast there are less than 8,000 manufacturing units according to the 2023 report of the government’s survey of pharma clusters. According to the survey, there are 118 pharma clusters in India and 7,673 pharma manufacturing units.
Though the government announced risk-based inspections, the rules do not specify any criteria, parameters or methodology to determine what constitutes a “risk-based” inspection or how manufacturers are to be categorized by risk level, making it open ended and discretionary. “This results in inconsistent interpretation across states and in practice, a reduction in inspection frequency and oversight, thereby diluting regulatory control over manufacturing compliance,” said Uday Bhaskar.
RTIs queries to 16 zonal offices and the CDSCO on inspections have been stonewalled repeatedly.

Reality check for Mumbai civic polls: In 3 years, 99% of development funds went to wards under ruling alliance : Written by Vallabh Ozarkar

The Indian Express: Article: Wednesday, 31 December 2025.

As Mumbai heads towards civic elections on January 15, the dice has already been loaded in favour of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance to replicate its dominating performance in local body polls across the rest of Maharashtra.
Over the past three years, more than 99 per cent of funds allotted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for development work went to wards in constituencies represented by Mahayuti lawmakers, an investigation by The Indian Express of records obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has found.
The records show that between February 2023 and October 2025, more than Rs 1,490.66 crore was sanctioned by the BMC for civic development, such as road repairs, drainage upgrades, health facilities and neighbourhood beautification.
Of this, Rs 1,476.92 crore went to areas under MLAs, MLCs and MPs from the ruling alliance of BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the records show. BJP lawmakers got the lion’s share (Rs 1076.7 crore), followed by those from Shinde’s Sena (Rs 372.7 crore).
In sharp contrast (see charts), only Rs 13.74 crore, or 0.9 per cent, was granted to the Opposition during this period and that too to one legislator from the Congress, Amin Patel, who represents Mumbadevi, a constituency in South Mumbai with a sizable population of minorities. Of the rest, all the ten MLAs from the Shiv Sena (UBT), two others from the Congress and one from SP received no funds at all.
This imbalance is the continuation of a pattern first reported by The Indian Express in  January 2024, when RTI data revealed that the entire  Rs 500 crore disbursed in the initial phase of the temporary policy had gone exclusively to ruling-party MLAs.
These findings raise questions about fair governance in India’s richest municipal corporation with an annual budget of over Rs 74,000 crore, particularly with the BMC elections just days away. Urban policy experts point out that infrastructure is a key ingredient in pre-poll political messaging with upgraded public spaces reinforcing the visibility and electoral advantage of ruling-party legislators.
Between February 2023 and November 2024, the Mahayuti had 21 MLAs from Mumbai while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had 15 MLAs. After the Assembly elections in November 2024, the Mahayuti wrested one more seat from the Opposition. The MVA enjoys the upper hand when it comes to parliamentarians with four out of six MPs.
Consider this:
l in the current fiscal year, Rs 360 crore has been disbursed so far all of it to ruling legislators.
l  Among MLAs, Ram Kadam of Ghatkopar West (BJP) emerged as the top recipient with Rs 70 crore in civic funds: Rs 35 crore (FY 2023-24), Rs 17.5 crore (FY 2024-25), Rs 17.5 crore (FY 2025–26). The next in line was BJP’s Yogesh Sagar (Charkop) with Rs 67.47 crore followed by party colleague Atul Bhatkhalkar (Kandivali East) with Rs 66.06 crore.

The timing of allocations further sharpens concerns.
In the months preceding the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, RTI records show that over Rs 467 crore was released to ruling-party incumbents even as almost all Opposition legislators received no funds.
l  Between August and September 2024, weeks before the code of conduct was imposed on October 15, 23 ruling alliance BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLAs received a total of Rs 357.3 crore in civic funds. The only Opposition MLA to receive a token allocation was once again Amin Patel of the Congress with Rs 3.92 crore.
l  The total amount also includes funds granted to MLCs from Mumbai who do not represent any constituency. Even in this group, records show, none of the five MLCs from the Opposition were allotted funds at least two of them, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sachin Ahir and NCP (SP)’s Sunil Shinde, told this newspaper that they had sought funding for civic development but their requests were ignored. BJP’s Pravin Darekar topped this list with Rs 33 crore: Rs 17.5 crore each in FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26.
‘Waiting for basic services’
At the heart of the imbalance in fund allocation is a policy introduced in February 2023, after the BMC’s elected body of corporators was dissolved at the end of its term in March 2022 and placed under a state-appointed administrator. In the absence of elected corporators, MLAs and MPs were authorised to propose development works for the 227 wards — a temporary administrative measure intended to prevent civic paralysis.
In practice, however, the policy concentrated the powers to grant funds, based on demands raised by the legislators and parliamentarians, in the hands of Mumbai’s Guardian Ministers: Shiv Sena’s Deepak Kesarkar (City) and BJP’s Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Suburban) from 2023-24; and, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde (City) and BJP’s Ashish Shelar (Suburban) from January this year.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Shelar said, “All fund allocations have been carried out strictly in accordance with BMC norms, and there is no question of any bias.” Shinde or his representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
“The MLAs and MPs write to the Guardian Ministers and the administrator, who is the BMC Commissioner, to avail the funds. Based on these proposals, the Guardian Ministers approve the funds, which are then processed by the BMC,” a senior BMC official said. BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani declined comment citing the model code of conduct in place for the January 15 polls.
Several Opposition legislators told this newspaper (see adjacent story) that civic work was “not just about politics”. Behind every pending proposal, they say, there are “thousands of people waiting for basic services”, such as broken toilets in slum pockets, clogged drains and unusable roads.
Ruling-party leaders attribute the imbalance to “incomplete proposals” from Opposition legislators. However, Opposition MLAs counter that proposals were repeatedly submitted and stalled at the approval stage.
“Development visibility is narrative control. Where money flows determines who owns the political narrative before elections. Repaired roads, parks and street lighting are tangible demonstrations of governance and development work that ruling legislators can showcase to voters,” said Mrudul Nile, a public policy expert and professor at Mumbai University.
According to BMC officials, various departments of the civic body continue to carry out basic maintenance work across all areas of the city, covering basic facilities and services such as water supply and solid waste management.
They said the civic funds allotted on demands from MLAs and MPs (and earlier by corporators) cover the upgrade of amenities, such as repairs of footpaths, roads and drains; cemeteries, libraries and gardens; development of garbage disposal areas; construction and repair of community toilets; and beautification projects.

RTI Reveals 23 Banks Have Implemented Mulehunter.AI, But Total Mule Accounts Identified Still Not Disclosed : Prabhanu Kumar Das

Media Nama: National: Wednesday, 31 December 2025.

As of December 10, 2025, 23 banks have implemented the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) MuleHunter.AI initiative, according to an RTI response that MediaNama received from the central bank.
Furthermore, India’s central bank said that it cannot provide data on the number of mule accounts identified or acted upon through MuleHunter.AI because the RBI holds the information in a fiduciary capacity with banks, and that disclosure could harm competitive interests under the RTI Act, 2005.
Moreover, the RBI stated that it does not have information on formal coordination with law enforcement agencies like the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) specifically for MuleHunter.AI, nor does it hold details of internal circulars, guidelines, or advisories sent to banks or payment aggregators about the initiative.
For context, MuleHunter.AI is an artificial intelligence-driven (AI-driven) model developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) to help banks detect and curb mule accounts, which fraudsters use to funnel, launder, or transfer proceeds of financial fraud.
Earlier in August 2025, the RBI’s Chief General Manager (CGM) Suvendu Pati said that at least 15 banks had already implemented MuleHunter.AI. These banks include the likes of Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, and AU Small Finance Bank. At the same event, Pati added that Federal Bank was in advanced stages of going live.
Meanwhile, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra noted in November 2025 that nearly 20 banks had adopted the system, again without a published list of names.
What is Mule Hunter?
The RBIH announced MuleHunter.AI in December 2024 as a new AI-based tool focused on identifying mule accounts used in financial fraud. Fraudsters exploit mule accounts to transfer illicit funds through otherwise legitimate banking systems, which makes transactions difficult to trace and recover, and leaves financial institutions as well as customers vulnerable to losses.
Traditional fraud detection systems rely on static, rule-based models that flag accounts based on fixed criteria. However, these systems often generate high false positives and require lengthy manual checks, slowing responses and leaving many fraudulent accounts undetected for longer periods. Moreover, rigid rule sets cannot adapt swiftly to evolving criminal behaviour.
However, MuleHunter.AI analyses transaction and account activity patterns across banks to identify accounts likely used as “mules” in financial fraud, rather than relying on fixed, static rules. It was developed by studying 19 distinct behaviours associated with mule accounts, enabling more accurate and faster detection of suspicious accounts.
AI In Fintech and Banking
AI is increasingly shaping the Indian financial sector, with fraud detection emerging as a primary application alongside customer service and risk management. At MediaNama’s “AI in Fintech” panel in April 2025, industry experts highlighted that banks and fintech firms are experimenting with AI to detect fraud and unusual patterns in transactional behaviour, much like the RBI’s MuleHunter.AI initiative that flags mule accounts involved in financial crime.
Beyond fraud detection, AI supports fintech operations in several other areas. For example, platforms are using algorithms and analysing behavioural and demographic data in order to personalise investment recommendations and tailor customer interactions. However, panellists at MediaNama’s event noted that AI deployment remains limited in critical decisions such as credit scoring and lending, largely due to concerns over historical bias in datasets.
Furthermore, the RBI’s Deputy Governor M. Rajeshwar Rao has also emphasised the need for responsible AI adoption across the banking sector, warning of risks such as algorithmic bias, opaque models, and systemic vulnerabilities in September 2025.
Additionally, the RBI has articulated a broader governance regime for AI through its Framework for Responsible and Ethical Enablement of Artificial Intelligence (FREE-AI). To explain, the FREE-AI framework sets out foundational principles and practical recommendations that aim to guide how banks, fintechs and regulated entities build, deploy and govern AI systems responsibly.

CIC dismisses RTI complaints filed by retired IAS officer

 Daily Excelsior: Jammu: Wednesday, 31 December 2025.

The Jal Shakti (PHE) Department, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, has been unequivocally vindicated by the Central Information Commission (CIC), which has dismissed all 15 RTI complaints filed by Ashok Kumar Parmar (IAS retired), exposing the motivated and obstructive nature of the allegations levelled against the department.
The CIC categorically upheld the departmental position and recorded that there was no malafide intent, no deliberate withholding of information, and no violation of the RTI Act by the Jal Shakti Department.
The Commission clearly noted that the information sought by Parmar was already available in the public domain on official Government and departmental websites and that the department had fully complied with the law by providing the relevant web links.
The CIC further reaffirmed the settled legal position that it is not the duty of any public authority to create, compile, or fabricate data merely to suit the narrative or suspicions of an applicant. Relying on authoritative Supreme Court judgments, the Commission held, “the RTI Act is confined strictly to disclosure of existing records and cannot be stretched to force departments into generating new datasets or forensic compilations at the cost of governance and public service delivery”.
It is pertinent to highlight that a House Committee has already been constituted to verify the works executed under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and the Committee’s report is still awaited. Notwithstanding this ongoing institutional scrutiny, Parmar chose to appear before the Committee and made sensational allegations of bungling to the tune of Rs 6,000 crore in pipe procurement, whereas official records establish that the actual procurement is approximately Rs 3,000 crore.
The CIC also took note of the fact that the complaints were deeply entangled with personal and service-related grievances of the complainant, which are already pending before appropriate judicial forums. The Commission reiterated in clear terms that the RTI Act is not a weapon for settling personal scores, pressurising departments, or running parallel trials through insinuations and suspicion-driven queries.
It is not out of place to mention that works under the Jal Jeevan Mission have remained halted for nearly last one year, and the sustained campaign of allegations, inflated figures, and motivated complaints have directly undermined the pace of implementation of this flagship public welfare programme meant to provide potable drinking water to households.
After comprehensive examination, the CIC concluded that there was no case whatsoever for imposition of penalty, and accordingly all complaints were dismissed in entirety, delivering a decisive blow to the false narrative sought to be built against the Jal Shakti Department and its officers.