Bihar is backward? Read this

Bihar is one of the first states where people can lodge complaints or applications seeking information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act through phone calls. 

The financially-dilapidated state “is one of the first to accept such (RTI) applications on phone to ensure transparency in the functioning of public institutions and also expand the reach of the RTI Act to villages”, said the Central Information Commission in its analytical report, Tracking Right to Information in Eight States.

‘Jankari’ (information) call centres set up by the Nitish Kumar government at different villages in the state is a “boon” to the illiterate aggrieved persons as it writes applications on their behalf. All they have to do is dial 155331 and report their grievances. The recorded grievances are then drafted in an appropriate manner and put up before the public information officers of various government departments. The applicant is then charged a nominal requisite fee of Rs10 under the RTI Act. The fee is automatically charged in the caller’s telephone bill, explained the study report.