India Today: New Delhi: Thursday, May 17, 2012.
PM Manmohan Singh's last year's message about the Right to Information (RTI) Act affecting the deliberative process of the government seems to have finally percolated down to the bureaucrats.
The Centre has rejected more RTI applications in 2011- 12 than in any other year since the inception of the Act in 2004, according to data released by the ministry of personnel.
A record number of over 33,000 RTI applications were rejected in 2011-12. It works out to a rejection rate of 9 per cent.
Last year, 21,000 RTI applications were rejected out of 4.17 lakh RTIs received, a 5 per cent rejection rate. But, in 2011- 12, the actual number of RTI rejections may eventually touch 50,000," a ministry source said.
Only 28 government officials were acted against last year on disciplinary grounds for being delinquent about RTI pleas.