The Right to Information Act, 2005
The appropriate Government may, to the extent of availability of financial and other resources
1. The appropriate Government may, to the extent of availability of financial and other resources,-
a. develop and organise educational programmes to advance the understanding of the public, in particular of disadvantaged communities as to how to exercise the rights contemplated under this Act;
b. encourage public authorities to participate in the development and organisation of programmes referred to in clause (a) and to undertake such programmes themselves;
c. promote timely and effective dissemination of accurate information by public authorities about their activities; and
d. train Central Public Information Officers or State Public Information Officers, as the case may be, of public authorities and produce relevant training materials for use by the public authorities themselves.
1.
2. The appropriate Government shall, within eighteen months from the commencement of this Act, compile in its official language a guide containing such information, in an easily comprehensible form and manner, as may reasonably be required by a person who wishes to exercise any right specified in this Act.
3. The appropriate Government shall, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines referred to in sub-section (2) at regular intervals which shall, in particular and without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (2), include-
a. the objects of this Act;
b. the postal and street address, the phone and fax number and, if available, electronic mail address of the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, of every public authority appointed under sub-section (1) of section 5;
c. the manner and the form in which request for access to an information shall be made to a Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be;
d. the assistance available from and the duties of the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, of a public authority under this Act;
e. the assistance available from the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be;
f. all remedies in law available regarding an act or failure to act in respect of a right or duty conferred or imposed by this Act including the manner of filing an appeal to the Commission;
g. the provisions providing for the voluntary disclosure of categories of records in accordance with section 4;
h. the notices regarding fees to be paid in relation to requests for access to an information; and
i. any additional regulations or circulars made or issued in relation to obtaining access to an information in accordance with this Act.
1.
2.
3.
4. The appropriate Government must, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines at regular intervals.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
1. The appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act.
2. In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-
a. the cost of the medium or print cost price of the materials to be disseminated under sub-section (4) of section 4;
b. the fee payable under sub-section (1) of section 6;
c. the fee payable under sub-sections (1) and (5) of section 7;
d. the salaries and allowances payable to and the terms and conditions of service of the officers and other employees under sub-section (6) of section 13 and sub-section (6) of section 16;
e. the procedure to be adopted by the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, in deciding the appeals under sub-section (10) of section 19; and
f. any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
1. The competent authority may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act.
2. In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-
i. the cost of the medium or print cost price of the materials to be disseminated under sub-section (4) of section 4;
ii. the fee payable under sub-section (1) of section 6;
iii. the fee payable under sub-section (1) of section 7; and
iv. any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
1. Every rule made by the Central Government under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.
2. Every rule made under this Act by a State Government shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is notified, before the State Legislature.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
1. If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Central Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, make such provisions not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removal of the difficulty:
that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of the commencement of this Act.
1.
2. Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before each House of Parliament.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
The Freedom of Information Act, 2002 is hereby repealed.
