MADURAI: The general public can seek information even about the State Information Commission under the RTI Act, said State Information Commissioner (SIC) S Selvaraj, while speaking to TNIE on Saturday. The state information commission organised an awareness meeting with Public Information Officers (PIOs) at the collectorate, which is when Selvaraj spoke to TNIE.
Here are a few excerpts from the interview:
Q. How many petitions are received by the SIC?
A. The information commission receives nearly 1,400 Second Appeals (SA) and nearly 500 complaint petitions (CP) monthly. Majority of the information is sought from the revenue and rural development departments.
Q. Is there any GO insisting on enquiring petitioners by PIOs at district collectorates and are all departments included in the online process?
A. No, GO currently insists on an enquiry. Yes, all departments are included in the online process. However, the petitioner has to file the first appeal by post, and from the second appeal onwards, they can do it online.
Q. Will the SIC organise an awareness programme for the general public on the Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2005?
A. It is difficult to gather the general public and organise at a particular venue. The district administration in all 38 districts have been asked to conduct awareness programmes on the act during the RTI Act week, which falls between October 5 and 12. Many private individuals also conduct classes for the general public.
Q. What is the main purpose of organising an awareness programme for PIOs ?
A. As per the RTI act, each PIOs need to send the requested information to the petitioner within 30 days, and the SIC must ensure the same. At the meeting, PIOs were given necessary instructions to handle petitions on time without any delay and compliance. Also, PIOs were asked to upload information available in their concerned department till date as per RTI Act, 2005 Section 4(1)(b). Also, PIOs are asked to register the petitions in their concerned register. PIOs are asked to present in person whenever the SIC asks them to attend an enquiry.