The Hindu: Hyderabad: Saturday, 27 July 2024.
The Telangana State Southern
Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) has rejected a request under the
Right to Information Act, which sought data on the number of households
benefiting from the Gruha Jyothi Scheme, which provides 200 units of electricity
to those eligible.
“The information which is in the shape of questionnaire sought by the information seeker does not come under the definition of “information” under Section 2(f) of RTI Act, 2005 [sic],” an excerpt from the response reads.
The TGSPDCL echoed the opinion of the State Information Commission as well as the National Information Commission, which states that a public authority is “not expected to create and generate afresh, any information because it has been sought by the applicant.”
The applicant, Kareem Ansari, had also sought to know the cost burden on account of the scheme and requested that this be supplied to him in a month-wise format.
Incidentally, Minister for Finance Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, in his Budget speech on Thursday, had detailed the zero-bills issued under the scheme. He said that the issuance of zero bills began on March 1, and that 45,81,676 zero bills were issued till July 15.
“The information which is in the shape of questionnaire sought by the information seeker does not come under the definition of “information” under Section 2(f) of RTI Act, 2005 [sic],” an excerpt from the response reads.
The TGSPDCL echoed the opinion of the State Information Commission as well as the National Information Commission, which states that a public authority is “not expected to create and generate afresh, any information because it has been sought by the applicant.”
The applicant, Kareem Ansari, had also sought to know the cost burden on account of the scheme and requested that this be supplied to him in a month-wise format.
Incidentally, Minister for Finance Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, in his Budget speech on Thursday, had detailed the zero-bills issued under the scheme. He said that the issuance of zero bills began on March 1, and that 45,81,676 zero bills were issued till July 15.
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