RTI Full Form

The RTI full form is the Right to Information Act which was passed in 2005 to ensure that citizens have access to government documents and various records. In this article, we will discuss the Right to Information Act in detail and answer some common questions regarding it.

What is RTI Full Form?

The full form of RTI is the Right to Information Act. The RTI was enacted on October 12, 2005, and came into effect on October 13 of the same year. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is legislation that provides Indian citizens with the right to access information held by the ministry or the government. The Right to Information Act is quite often abbreviated as RTI.

What is the Objective of Right to Information?

The Right to Information (RTI) is an Act of the Parliament of India that aims to grant citizens access to certain government information. The RTI Act was passed by the Parliament in the year 2005 and came into effect on 15 October 2005. The RTI Act provides a process to request information from a public authority that is required to reply within the span of 30 days. On failing to answer the queries, the committee comes under surveillance. The RTI Act also provides for a process to appeal against the refusal of any information by a public authority.

Various Uses of RTI

There are many uses of RTI which are beneficial for the common good. Few of the benefits of RTI are:

• To get information about the public authority’s performance and accountability
• To gain the access of records held by the public authority
• To request information in a particular format for specific use
• To complain if you are not satisfied with the response received for your request of information
• To seek review of the decision of the public authority in relation to your request for information
• To get the general information about the reasons for a particular decision made by the public authority
• To get relevant information about the procedures followed by the public authority in forming a particular decision
• To get information about the policies and guidelines issued by the public authority

Who Can Apply for RTI?

Any Indian citizen can apply for an RTI application. There is no need to present any specific reason for why you are seeking the information. One also does not need to disclose the identity when filing an RTI application if they wish so. Any citizen who is willing to know information about the government work or policies can file an RTI on the basis of which the explanation will be received.

Process to File an RTI

• You can file an RTI through online, by post or in person according to the ability
• You can find the application form for RTI on the official website of the Central Information Commission (CIC)
• The application form is in the PDF format and can be downloaded from the website with a single click
• You will need to provide your name, address, contact details and other credentials on the form
• You will also need to mention about the the name of the public authority you are asking for information/explanation from
• You will need to mention the purpose of your request and be specific about the information you are seeking
• You will also need to mention the relevant dates and file an affidavit stating that all the information provided is true to the best of your knowledge or inquiring capacity
• You can find a sample RTI application on the website of CIC to seek reference from
• Once you have filled all the details in the form, you can submit it in various form: online, by post or in person
• You will need to pay the required fee
• The application should be sent to the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the public authority related to the information you are seeking
• If you do not receive a response within the given stipulated time frame, you can file an appeal with the Information Commissioner about the same

Difference Between RTI and Anti-corruption Law

The Right to Information (RTI) is a medium that helps citizens access government information, while the anti-corruption law punishes public officials who abuse their power or are involved in corruption cases. Also, the RTI is a right guaranteed by the Constitution to the citizens, while the anti-corruption law is a law passed by Parliament by majority of vote. Another striking difference between RTI and the anti-corruption law is that the RTI applies to all government institutions or public offices, while the anti-corruption law only applies to central government institutions or ministries.

Various Sections of RTI

Various sections of RTI that the citizens should know for proper accessing of their rights are given below:

• Section 6(1) – This section is provided for writing an RTI application.
• Section 6(3) – If your application has gone to the wrong department, it will be sent to the right department under section 6(3) within the span of 5 days.
• Section 7(5) – According to this section, BPL card holders do not have to pay any RTI fee as they come under  the category of fee waiver.
• Section 7 (6) – According to this section, if the reply of RTI is not received within 30 days, then the information will be given free of cost after the vigilance of the reason to delay.
• Section 18 – If any officer does not respond, then his complaint should be given to the information officer according to this article.
• Section 8 – According to this section, that information will not be provided in the ambit of RTI which is a threat to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country or tampers the internal investigation of the department.
• Section 19(1) – If your RTI reply is not received within the span of 30 days, you can make the first appeal to the first appellate authority with this act.
• Section 19 (3) – If the answer to your first appeal is not received, then with Section 19 (3), you can make a second appeal to the officer within 90 days.

Steps to Check the RTI Application Status

The following steps given below will guide you through checking the status of your RTI application:

1. Go to the official website of RTI and click on ‘View Status’

2. Upon opening the page, enter your registration number in the first box.

3. Enter your valid e-mail address in the second box.

4. Now fill in the captcha code and click on the submit button.

5. You will see the status of your application submitted and save it for future reference..