Govt to conduct RTI study to assess cost on providing info

New Delhi: The Centre has decided to conduct a detailed study on implementation of its flagship Right to Information (RTI) Act aimed at assessing public`s satisfaction and government`s cost in providing information to applicants.

The Department of Personnel and Training, which acts as nodal department for implementation of the RTI Act, has issued a Request for Proposal documents to firms interested in conducting `A 360 Degree study on the implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2005`. "The Centre has decided to conduct the study on RTI Act to assess its implementation across the country and find ways to address bottlenecks faced by various stakeholders," a DoPT official said. The aim of the study is to determine the level of satisfaction among the people with the functioning of the RTI Act, in general and to study the use of the transparency law by analysing type of applicants and kind of information being asked from the departments concerned. The study will help in recording the experience of public authorities at different levels in dealing with RTI applications and appeals. The Right to Information Act was enacted in 2005 to further the objectives of making governance more transparent and accountable. An applicant can seek a time-bound reply from a government department under the RTI Act. The study will cover both state and central governments. It will cover public authorities at centre, state, district and panchayat-level. The last date for submitting technical and financial bids is May 27. PTI