The Education Department has issued a directive to all District Deputy Directors, Heads of Degree and Sanskrit Colleges, SCERT, and GCTE, urging them to expedite the settlement of pending online RTI appeals. The department has raised concerns over delays in resolving appeals on the Public Information Officer’s (PIO) dashboard, which are not being addressed within the mandated time frame as per the RTI Act, 2005.
In its communication, the department emphasized that the First Appellate Officers and PIOs under the control of Deputy Directors of Higher Education (DDHE) are not consistently monitoring the online RTI portal. This lack of regular oversight has resulted in appeals and applications remaining unresolved beyond the stipulated deadlines, which violates the provisions of the RTI Act.
To address this issue, the department has instructed officials to check the online RTI portal and dashboard regularly. The officials are also expected to resolve all pending appeals and applications promptly to ensure compliance with the legal timelines.
Moreover, the department has issued additional instructions to the principals of newly established degree and Sanskrit colleges, as well as upgraded institutions, to submit details of colleges that lack credentials (user ID and password) for logging into the online RTI portal. These details should be sent within two days to the RTI Cell of the Directorate of Education via the prescribed format.
The Education Department’s move aims to reinforce transparency and accountability within educational institutions, ensuring that all RTI appeals are handled efficiently and in a timely manner.
