Blow to Modi's 'good governance'? Majority of RTI applicants dissatisfied with PMO's reply

New Delhi, Nov 19: The people filing RTI applications are not really happy with the response they are getting from the Narendra Modi government. Though the number of RTI applications to the PMO (Prime Minsterial Office) have increased after Narendra Modi took charge as Prime Minister in May 2014, but the number of people dissatisfied with the response from the PMO have also increased.

As per TOI report, "There is a 70% spurt in the number of RTI applications to the Prime Minister's Office after Narendra Modi took charge in May this year. Worryingly the number of appeals have increased by 65% indicating that people are dissatisfied with the responses they have received so far."

In between January-May 2014 the number of RTI applications was 3,069, which in between June-October rose to 5,208. Not only RTI applications, even the number of first appeals increased. A first appeal is an appeal filed by a person if he or she is dissatisfied with the response after 30 days.

RTI activist Lokesh Batra was quoted as saying in TOI, "Modi government came to power on the plank of transparency and efficiency of work. People have a lot of expectations and that is reflected in the rise in the number of applications.''

But the activists feel that the incumbent government is also not transparent as the erstwhile government. And the increase in number of first appeal show that people are really not happy with the response they are getting for their RTI applications.

They feel that the Modi government's approach to the RTIs is no different from the erstwhile Congress government. It is high time the new government brings in more transparency.

OneIndia News