Dont post your RTI queries, do it online

KOCHI: Bringing in a major revolution in the Right To Information sector, Kerala is all set to become the first state in the country to facilitate online RTI queries.In an effort to speed up thousands of pending applications, the Kerala State IT Mission will soon launch online RTI services. The project will be launched at the General Administration Department of the Secretariat this month.  “Being launched under the e-district programme, the service will be available across the state.  “The GAD will be the nodal office for the project,” IT Mission Director A Shajahan said.  People can send RTI applications through any Akshaya centre, IT Mission coordinator Noufal K P said. “The applicant has to pay Rs 10 and file the application. Akshaya will route it to Public Information Officers of the department concerned. The PIOs will be given digital signatures through which they can accept the same. The status of the application at each stage will be messaged to the applicant. He can opt for the response as soft or hard copy,” Noufal said. The whole processing would be 50 per cent faster than applying through post, he added.   The staff at the GAD are being trained for the purpose. Onces the training is over, the project will be launched.  The State Information Commission welcomed the move.  “Once RTI applications become online, information decimation will be easier and less time-consuming. The only problem is the rule that a fee of Rs 10 has to be paid as court fee for government departments and as cash for departments under public sector undertakings,” State Information Commissioner M N Gunavardhanan said. As per the e-district programme, a service charge of Rs 10 is being levied, apart from the RTI fee of Rs 10. “Talks are on with the government regarding waiving of the RTI fee for online applications. However, it might not be viable. So, Rs 20 in total has to be paid for an online RTI application,” the IT Mission Director said.  To make the project more effective, the State IT Mission is also planning to increase the number of Akshaya centres in the state from 2,500 to 3,500.