New Delhi: As many as 4.11 lakh applications were filed by Right to Information (RTI) activists in the state between 2005-06 and 2018-19 while 35,541 complaints were filed in 2018-19, says a report released by the Transparency International India, Saturday.
The State Transparency Report revealed that over 57,000 second appeals were received by the State Information Commission (SIC) in the last 13 years. The SIC had also imposed Rs 4.67 lakh penalty on public authorities in 39 cases in 2018-19.
The report further revealed that eight cases of threats and harassments against RTI applicants have been found in the state. According to the report, only five Information Commissions have maintained data related to cases of threats and harassment. Maximum number of cases was registered in Uttarakhand (405), followed by Andhra Pradesh 12, Odisha eight, and one each by Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
It further stated that as many as 24 posts of Chief Information Commissioner and Information commissioners are vacant in the country. Similarly, three out of six sanctioned posts are vacant in the Odisha.