Over 19,000 complaints, appeals pending with CIC: Centre in Lok Sabha

A total of 19,233 complaints and appeals were pending with the Central Information Commission (CIC) as of April 1 this year, the government said on Wednesday.

There was a vacancy of four Information Commissioners in the transparency watchdog against the sanctioned strength of ten, according to a written reply given by Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha.

Also Read | LS Speaker Om Birla admits no-confidence motion against Modi govt

There were 29,213 pendency in the period 2021-22, 38,116 in 2020-21, 35,178 in 2019-20, and 29,655 in 2018-19, he said.

According to section 12(3) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the Central Information Commission shall consist of the Chief Information Commissioner and such number of Information Commissioners, not exceeding ten, as may be deemed necessary.

"At present, four Information Commissioners apart from the Chief Information Commissioner are in the position in the CIC," Singh said.

Filling up of vacancies of Information Commissioners in State Information Commissions is the subject matter of respective state governments as per Section 15 of the RTI Act, the minister said.

The government has taken a series of steps which include "capacity building through training and issuing of guidelines" for Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities, so as to enable them to supply information/dispose of first appeals effectively, resulting in less number of appeals to the Information Commission, Singh said.

As far as second appeals are concerned, the CIC has taken several initiatives to improve the effectiveness of the RTI Act, such as e-court and video conferencing for the early hearing of second appeals/complaints, he said.

The Commission has also completed the digitisation of records, electronic receipts of cases and registration, and a one-click information window and mobile app for the RTI applicants, Singh added.