SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir UT Witnesses Sharp Drop in RTI Applications in 2021-22: CIC Report
According to a recent report by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) analyzing the Central Information Commission (CIC) annual report for 2021-22, Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory saw a significant decline in the number of Right to Information Act-2005 applications filed with various departments. The report revealed a 31.44% decrease in RTI applications received in 2021-22 compared to the previous year. Only 1,099 applications were received in 2021-22, whereas the figure was 1,603 in 2020-21. However, there was a sharp increase of 683.33% in the number of carried-over applications from 2020-21, with 94 applications in 2021-22, up from 12 in 2019-20.
Moreover, the CHRI noted that Jammu and Kashmir UT reported a decline in the proportion of RTIs transferred by Public Information Officers (PIOs) in 2021-22 compared to the previous year. The proportion of transferred RTI applications dropped to 4.73% in 2021-22 from 38.74% in 2020-21.
It’s worth mentioning that Jammu and Kashmir UT only became subject to the Central Right to Information Act-2005 after the constitutional changes implemented by the Centre in 2019. Prior to that, it had its own RTI law.
