Right to Information Act 2005 ...in simple words

More than 19 years have passed since the RTI Act was enacted. A large portion of our country's population is still unaware of this landmark tool. Out of those persons who know about this Act, there are many who have only read about it - in newspapers, in books or through Social Media - and have never submitted any request under the Act. Out of those persons who have tried to get information by making request for it, many have stopped doing so because of no response or unsatisfactory response from the public authorities. On the other hand, there are few individuals who use this Act to such a great extent that their actions are, sometimes, seen as a misuse of the Act.

In government departments, there are many officers who have been designated as Public Information Officers to handle RTI requests, but they have not been given proper training on this subject. Because of this reason, they often fail to dispose of RTI requests in a manner provided by the Act. A guidebook is also required for these officers to help them understand the true meanings of the provisions of the Act on the basis of various judgments pronounced by the Courts on this subject.

Given the large-scale divide between the level of awareness of the RTI Act among citizens and the lack of training of Public Information Officers who deal with RTI requests in Government departments, it is time that a guidebook is published for the benefit of all. This book, in simple words, is an effort in that direction.