National call centre mooted to help citizens put up queries.
The Union government is in the process of launching an ‘RTI call centre’ for all its departments, to enable citizens to file right to information (RTI) applications over the telephone.
This was revealed to DNA by the joint secretary of the department of personnel and training (DoPT), Rajeev Kapoor, who was in the city to interact with RTI activists on a communication strategy to promote awareness and the use of RTI by citizens.
Kapoor said the National Institute of Smart Government is preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for a call centre-based RTI application receiving facility. After the DPR is prepared, the call centre would be set up by June 2011 with participation of civil society organisations and private entities.
Citizens can ring up the call centre and speak to the operators about the query under the RTI Act. The application would be filed by operators and it would be sent to the department concerned.
Kapoor said efforts are also on to develop an RTI web portal, through which citizens can file RTI applications and pay the prescribed fees.
Director general of Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada), Shaileshkumar Sharma, communication consultant Sonailini Mirchandani and director of Centre For Public Policy, Prahlad Kachare, were present for the programme.
A similar facility was started in Bihar three years ago. The project, called ‘Jankari’, is the brainchild of Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar. It helps citizens living in any part of the state to submit applications for information under the RTI Act, 2005, on telephone.
The call centre provides the applicant with a reference number for the application. If the information is not provided, the applicant can file the first appeal and later, the second appeal to the appellate authority and the State Information Commission (SIC) respectively.
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