93% RTI applications filed online, observes Delhi govt
NEW DELHI: After the launch of the online RTI filing system in 2017, the Delhi government observed that 93 per cent RTIs are now filed online and also there has been a nearly 15 per cent rise in RTI filing.
The e-RTI portal, which has been designed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), includes the filing of the application, payment of fees and getting replies online. An applicant will also be able to track the status of RTI application.
Delhi is the second state who made the RTI online and the citizens responded to the initiative largely as showed by the data. Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board tops the list in terms of total number of RTIs till date. The data also showed that education, transport and health have also got a high amount of RTI applications. The reports also showed that 50 per cent of the applications get cleared in the first round and with time sending the application to a higher authority by the applicants if they are unsatisfied are going down.
"The online RTI is a major success of the government and all the department with time are doing a decent job in terms of response. Some issues are there which we are working on and will be sorted out. The ministers also keeps a tab on the progress of the whole process," said an official. He added that when the government launched this initiative when it was the second government in India. 'We were confident but also sceptical about the fact but with time we found that the people are taking this initiative in a positive way. After coming to power the government always tried to boost the online services and this was one of such," said the official. With the launch of the e-RTI portal (rtionline.delhi.gov.in), Delhi became the first union territory to put in place such a system.
In the time of launch in 2017, Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal said, "We will try to put all information pertaining to the government's work in the public domain, which affects people's life and helps in bettering transparency." He said if the government puts all information online, people's won't need to then file RTI applications.
