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Right to Information (RTI) Act Resource Centre

[Sio-list] Procedure for queries under RTI for subject matter not dealt by NIC

Swarup Dutta swarup.dutta at nic.in
Wed May 3 16:10:18 IST 2006

Dear SIO/Colleagues

The receipt of queries under RTI for subject matter not dealt by NIC, following procedure may kindly be adopted:-

  1. First of all make sure if the RTI fee has been properly submitted is not. By properly we mean that as per DIT's guidelines RTI fee of Rs 10/= per query can be submitted only in the form of either Bank Draft or Postal Orders and incase of state they have to be in favour of DDO of NIC of concerned State Unit. The RTI fee as per DIT's instructions is not to be accepted in any other form other than as specified in the aforementioned. This means that RTI fee is in form of court stamp paper etc is not accepted.
  2. If RTI query has been properly filed SIO's can not refuse to accept; even though that query is dealt by some other Deptt of State Govt and it has been wrongly addressed to NIC's SIO. In every such case SIO's should get the RTI fee credited to government account, advise the DDO to issue its receipt to the information seeker plus record the receipt particulars on the body of RTI Query, which shall have to be promptly referred to other departments or agency of Govt. of India.
  3. As far as possible the RTI queries must be responded by SIO's at local level only and in the quickest possible time directly. But in every case the NIC-HQ's, RTI division should be kept informed about the action taken by SIO.
  4. For cases pertaining to other departments of State Govt. after retaining the RTI fee with NIC's DDO the receipt details of RTI as entered by NIC's DIO, Xerox copy of the total RTI query should be retained by NIC State Units records and complete original query papers should be promptly referred to appropriate Govt. Deptt or agency of State Govt. The relevant records for such referral RTI cases must be kept by SIO's. Concurrent to the aforementioned, the original information seeker must be kept informed about her case being referred/transferred to which State Govt. Deptt./Agency giving full particulars for such referrals (e.g. diary Despatch number, Date & mode of sending by office courier for hand delivery or by speed post etc.
  5. For any procedural clarifications the NIC-HQR's RTI division must be contacted giving full particulars of the case and details of operational difficulty encountered, if any. The above guidelines are issued as per approval of competent authority for compliance by all concerned.

Yours sincerely
(KASHI NATH)

regards..

Swarup Dutta
Email : swarup.dutta@nic.in
Phone : 011-24305688