The
Right To Information - Salient features
of India's RTI Act, 2005
RTI
Act 2005 empowers every citizen to:
Ask any questions from the Government
or seek any information
Take copies of any government documents
Inspect any government documents.
Inspect any Government works
Take samples of materials of any Government
work.
You
can seek information from any department
of the central or state government, from
panchayati raj institutions, and from any
other organization or institution (including
NGOs) that is established, constituted,
owned, controlled or substantially financed,
directly or indirectly, by the state or
central government (section 2(a) & (h)).
In each department, at least one officer
has been designated as a public information
officer (PIOs). He/She accepts the request
forms and provides information sought by
the people (section 5(1)).
In addition, in each
sub-district/divisional level there are
assistant public information officers (APIOs)
who receive requests for information and
appeals against decisions of the public
information officers, and then send them
to the appropriate authorities (section
5(2)).
Any person seeking information
should file an application in writing or
through electronic means in English or Hindi
(or in the official language of the area)
along with the application fees with the
PIO/APIO (section 6(1)).