(a) whether the Central Information Commission is taking more time than the prescribed time limit for disposal of applications/appeals received under the Right to Information Act and it could not meet the disposal target over the last one year;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
(c) the action plan being formulated by the Government for time bound disposal of application/appeals received under RTI Act?
Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office. (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)
(a) to (c): As per the Right to Information Act, 2005 it is mandatory on the part of Public Information Officer either to provide the information or reject the request for any of the reasons specified by the RTI Act within 30 days of receipt of the request. However, information concerning life or liberty of a person has to be provided in forty-eight hours of the receipt of request.
Similarly, as per the RTI Act, an appeal shall be disposed of within 30 days on the receipt of the appeal by the First Appellate Authority or within such extended period not exceeding a total of 45 days from the date of of filing thereof, as the case may be, for reasons to be recorded in writing.
The Act, however, does not prescribe time limit or target for disposal of 2nd appeal/complaint by the Central Information Commission.
The Commission, however, on 22.03.2011 decided that each Information Commissioner including Chief Information Commissioner will endeavour to decide about 3200 appeals/complaints per year. During 2015, a total of 27922 appeals/complaints were disposed off.
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