RTI

Online application for RTI in the works

Trial run of software will be conducted

10/05/2020, R. SIVARAMAN,CHENNAI

Applications seeking documents under the Right to Information (RTI) Act can now be filed online in Tamil Nadu.

A Government Order issued by S. Swarna, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, on April 29, said the facility of online filing of petitions under Section 6(1) and First Appeals under Section 19(1) of RTI Act will be rolled out. This will be done using the software available with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and after making necessary changes to make it suitable for the needs of the State.

“As a first step, a trial run of the software for filing of petitions will be conducted in the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department at the Secretariat. After ascertaining the performance, a pilot run will be conducted in a major department such as School Education Department, which has a wide penetration of officers in the State,” Ms. Swarna said.

The government also decided to accept online payment pending amendment to the Tamil Nadu RTI (Fees) Rules and to engage the State Bank of India to act as a merchant banker for providing payment gateway.

So far, applications under the RTI Act, are submitted in the State only through typed or handwritten applications. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh and Delhi already allowed online applications.

Many RTI activists consistently demanded that online application facility be introduced in the State. Reacting to the decision, RTI activist, V. Gopalakrishnan, said, “It is too late since other States have already introduced the system. The State Information Commission recommended that the government introduce the online facility.”

However, another activist P. Viswanathan welcomed the addition and said “This introduction of online facility will encourage the younger generations to file more petitions and will bring more transparency into the system.”