Right to Information Act

The Right to Information Act (RTI) is an Act of the Parliament of India “to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens” and replaces the erstwhile Freedom of Information Act, 2002. The Act applies to all States and Union Territories of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen may request information from a “public authority” (a body of Government or “instrumentality of State”) which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days.

The Act also requires every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and to pro-actively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.

• The application may be type-written or neatly hand-written wherein mention atop “Application under RTI Act 2005.
• The application may preferably be written though an e-mail & is accepted as a mode as per law and there is no such prescribed proforma for application.
• Applications will not be discarded on the ground that they were not in the prescribed proforma.
• The application should be written in English or Bengali & be in a simple and easy language.
• Application is simply addressed to the “Public Information Officer’’ (Don’t mention the name)
• Mention your question direct-point wise, avoid asking vague questions.
• Avoid using too technical terms or legal terminology.
• Attach Government RTI Fee in the form of IPO/DD etc., as applicable with the RTI Application.
• At the end of the application make a declaration that you are an Indian citizen.