The department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has asked the states and competent authorities to 'harmonize RTI fee' and charge the amount as prescribed in the Act. The DoPT was forced to release the directive as there have been instances where state governments and departments have charged exorbitant fee, in lieu of the information sought. The hefty fee is a disincentive, said DoPT.
Further, the to make sure that state governments don't take it as just yet another order from
DoPT has asked states to inform it about the action taken. The department has written to the chief secretaries of all states, registrars of high courts and registrar of the Supreme Court to harmonize the RTI fee.
The sections 27 and 28 of the Right to Information Act empower governments and competent authorities to make rules to prescribe the fee payable under the RTI Act. In effect, Central government, state governments and high courts have notified fee rules.
However, DoPT said it has observed that the fee prescribed by different governments/competent authorities is at great variance. While most of the states, including Uttar Pradesh, charge Rs 10 for information and Rs 2 per annexure, very much in harmony with the rules defined under the RTI Act, Sikkim charges Rs 100 as RTI fee, per application, and Rs 10 per annexure. States like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu charge varied amounts of fee.
Haryana and Tamil Nadu charge Rs 50, while Andhra Pradesh charges no money at village level, Rs 5 at mandal level and Rs 10 for all other public authorities.
"The second administrative reforms has said that states should frame rules regarding application fee in harmony with the Central rules and ensure that the fee should not become a disincentive for using the right to information," said DoPT, in response to a query by Subhash Chandra Agrawal, an RTI activist.
Delhi, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar, Mizoram, Karnataka, Orissa and Gujarat said they charge the same fee as prescribed in the Central rules.
UP, though has the Central rule in place, but is yet to inform DoPT about the action taken on its latest instruction.
