New RTI Journal Launch & Digital Push Reinforce Transparency and Governance Reforms
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh released the latest edition of the RTI Journal and launched its e‑journal counterpart on the NFICI (National Federation of Information Commissions in India) website during the 15th Annual General Body Meeting of NFICI at the Central Information Commission in New Delhi. Since 2014, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has abolished over 1,600 obsolete rules—including attestation by gazetted officers—to streamline governance and boost youth trust in institutions. Notably, even during the COVID‑19 lockdown, the CIC and State Information Commissions maintained near‑100% RTI disposal rates by conducting proceedings remotely.
Innovations such as the “Human Desk,” which follows up with personal calls to applicants post‑RTI disposal, aim to enhance the citizen satisfaction index. Further, widespread posting of government decisions on official websites has helped reduce repetitive RTI queries and increased transparency, although the Minister emphasized the need to filter avoidable RTI requests through strengthened SOPs. NFICI’s platform supports coordination, best practice sharing, and real‑time feedback from Information Commissioners for improving governance.
Relevant question for policy stakeholders: How can the “Human Desk” model be institutionalised across government departments to improve citizen trust and governance transparency?
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https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2160904