The Hindu: Bangalore: Sunday, May
08, 2016.
As of now,
applicants have to either physically hand over their query or post it to the
department.
There could
be good news for those who always wanted to file an application under the Right
to Information (RTI) Act, but found the process daunting; the process may go
online.
Following the
footsteps of the Centre, the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) is planning
to introduce online filing of RTI applications. The move, though in a nascent
stage, stemmed out of demand from RTI activists.
KIC officials
are in the process of finding suitable software to make the process online. The
commission receives over 50 applications on any given day.
Officials in
the Janaspandana Cell of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms
added that the proposal is awaiting the Law Department’s nod.
At present,
applicants have two options. They can either physically fill the RTI
application form and submit it personally in the department concerned, or post
it to the official concerned.
On the other
hand, at the Central level, applicants can complete the whole process online.
The
applications/pleas are electronically transmitted to the departments and
ministries concerned.
RTI
activists are happy:
Wg. Cdr. G.B.
Athri (retd.) said, “No time is wasted in commuting to various departments or
post offices. Someone in Chitradurga can file an application on a query
regarding an office in Bengaluru without having to go anywhere. If the system
is made free of technical glitches, it will be an applicant-friendly one.”
However, he said, the system at the Centre is not free of glitches.
But the
initiative does not end with finding the perfect software. The reciprocity of
Public Information Officers too will have an important role to play in making
it a success, activists said.
Private
players filling the gap:
In the
absence of an online option, private players have been stepping in to help
applicants, but for a fee. They provide an interface between government
departments and applicants, which is likely to continue even if an online system
debuts in the State for the simple reason that they simplify the procedure for
applicants.
Online RTI, a
Bengaluru-based for-profit-making social enterprise that was started in October
2013, gets between 8,000 and 10,000 requests a month. Those who take the
application process forward by paying a fee is around 3,000. Online RTI helps
applicants seeking information from departments across the country. The fee is
Rs. 199 per application.
People don’t
know much about governance and how to write questions. Our team of experts, who
are mostly lawyers, help make the requests clearer,” said Pradeep Bhatt,
co-founder, Online RTI.
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