Outlook India: Shimla: Saturday, September 15, 2018.
The
2017 annual report of the Central Information Commission of India states that
four out of every ten RTI requests are rejected on unknown grounds.
Since
her 2015 divorce, Reena, a 35-year-old mother of three living in the slums of
Dakshinpuri, Delhi, has been trying to make ends meet working as a maid. For
her kids enrolled in a government school, a scheduled caste certificate is the
key to schemes like scholarships, subsidised uniforms and schoolbooks. However,
in the absence of a father, whose caste traditionally determines that of his
children in most of India, Reena’s circumstances have trapped her in a vicious
cycle. “The school authorities keep asking for my kids’ caste certificates. I
filed an RTI on June 17, 2016 asking about the procedure of applying for a
caste certificate in the absence of a father, and I am still waiting for an
answer. Every time I go to their office, they tell me there’s something missing
in the form, or ask me to go find out their father’s caste. It’s been nearly
three years and I haven’t received a single response,” she says. The 2017
annual report of the Central Information Commission of India states that four
out of every ten RTI requests are rejected on unknown grounds.
With
the help of Satark Nagrik Sangathan, an NGO helping people in Delhi’s slums
access information and file RTIs, Reena successfully invoked the act, only to
be left in the lurch with multiple follow-ups and unsuccessful appeals.
Finally, the Central Information Commission issued an order, dated ‘30. 08.
2018’, directing that the required information be furnished “within four weeks
of the receipt of this order”. Reena remains patient as the timer ticks.