http://arc.gov.in/index.htm

  Email:arcommission@nic.in

QUESTIONNAIRE

 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION/ RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT

(http://arc.gov.in/q1.htm)

Questionnaire for Citizens

BACKGROUND

1.   Please indicate the type of settlement where you reside (a)village(b)town having population below one lakh(c)town having population between one and ten lakh(d)city having population above ten lakhs(e)four metros

2.   Please indicate your occupation(a)farming(b)agricultural labourer(c)craftsman(d)private business(e)industrial labourer(f)Govt. Servant(g)salaried employee in private sector(h)professional.

 SEEKING INFORMATION FROM GOVERNMENT

3.   Have you ever desired to seek information from any Ministry/department/agency of the Central/State (or UT) Government before the RTI Act coming into force?  

4.   If yes, then did it pertain to (a)status of any application made by you (b)reasons of rejection of any application made by you(c) inadequate delay in processing of any application(d)faulty processing of any application(e)issue pertaining to any public/community interest

5.   Did you actually write to the officials concerned for the relevant information?

6.   If yes, then did you receive any information from the official concerned?

7.   If yes, then were you satisfied with the information provided to you?

 THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT

8.   Are you aware that the Indian Parliament has passed the RTI Act in 2005, providing every citizen with the Right to Information? 

9.   Are you aware of the provisions of the RTI Act?        

10. Are you aware that you are not required to disclose any reason for asking the desired information under the RTI Act?

11. Are you aware about the fees which are to be charged for the disclosure of information under the RTI Act?

12. Are you aware that there are no fees for citizens who are below the poverty line?

13. Are you aware that all Ministries/Departments/agencies of the Central/State (or UT) Government are statutorily required to provide the requisite information within 30 days of making the application, which can not exceed 40 days in any case?

 EXPERIENCE

14. Have you made any application under the RTI Act to any Government official?   

15. If yes, then have you received the information within 30 days of making the application?  

16. Are you satisfied with the quality of information disclosed to you?  

17. Do you think the information which has been disclosed to you was quite vague, incomplete or evasive in nature ?

18. Has the information been provided in the format you had sought?

19. Whether the official has used standardized computer generated format for providing the information which was sought for?  

20. Have the concerned authorities denied you the information which you had sought?  

21. If yes, has the reason for the same been communicated to you?  

22. Are you satisfied with the reasons so communicated?  

23. If no, have you preferred an appeal against the said order?  

24. Which provision of the RTI Act was invoked by the concerned authority to deny the disclosure of information to you (give the specific provision of the RTI Act).

25. What are the arrangements made in the area of your field work by the State / UT Government for helping people who are illiterate and/or who live below the poverty line in making an application for disclosure of information at all levels?

 SUGGESTIONS

26. What should be done to handle frivolous demand of information?

27. What in your view are the impediments in getting information from Government?

28. How could these be overcome?

29. Does the Official Secrets Act come in the way of ‘Freedom of Information’?

30 What changes are required in the Official Secrets Act?

31.Would it be desirable to have a Single Window agency at the State (or UT) /District/Block levels which receives all information pertaining to the District/Taluka and then processes them further?

32. What is the feasibility of creating a single window for citizens seeking information? Can web-based and other mechanisms be evolved to create such a single window so that people need not approach various departments separately? What technical and physical infrastructure does the state need to facilitate the creation of the single window at the State/UT, District and Block level?

33. What can be done to create a single web-based source to give citizens easy access to all proactive disclosures made by public authorities of the Union and all the States/UTs? What can be done to facilitate similar easy access to all reports of Central Information Commission and all State / UT Information Commissions?

34. What formal and informal mechanisms are needed between the Union and States / UTs for effective coordination, sharing and dissemination of best practices, and creating easy single-window access to all citizens? Would a forum of Central Information Commission and all State / UT Information Commissions meeting periodically and taking decisions and pursuing them be of value in this regard? Who should take such an initiative? 

( Note- the respondents may  furnish any other pertinent information/suggestion not included in the questionnaire)

Joint Secretary,

Administrative Reforms Commission,

2nd floor,

Vigyan Bhawan Annexe,

New Delhi. PH: 011-23022424

arcommission@nic.in

Questionnaire for NGOs

BACKGROUND

1. Please specify the region/area of your field work[village/taluka/district/state(or UT) ].
2. Is your organization also carrying out the work of spreading awareness about the provisions of the RTI Act in the area of your field work? 
3. Whether your organization had tried to elicit information from government officials prior to the enactment of the RTI Act? 

EXPERIENCE WITH RTI ACT

4. If yes, whether you had received the information you had sought ? 
5. If yes, whether the information provided to you was as per your requirements? 
6. Whether any Government authority has made any attempts to make the people aware of the provisions of the RTI Act in your field area? 
7. What will be the nature of information likely to be sought by people residing in your field work area?
8. Do you think that the concerned government authorities have made suitable arrangements for providing such information to citizens?  
9. Have you made any request for disclosure of information to any Government official under the RTI Act, in the area of your field work?  
10. If yes, whether the information sought for has been received by you within the stipulated time?  
11. If yes, then have you received the information within 30 days of making the application?  
12. Are you satisfied with the quality of information disclosed to you?  
13. Do you think the information which has been disclosed to you quite vague, incomplete or evasive in nature ?
14. Has the information been provided in the format you had sought?
15. Has the concerned authorities denied you the information which you had sought?  

SUGGESTIONS

16. What are your suggestions for effective implementation of the RTI Act?
17. What in your view would be the major impediments in the effective implementation of the RTI Act?
18. What are your suggestions for ensuring that the maximum amount of information gets disseminated through voluntary disclosure under section 4 of the Act so that the work of providing information gets reduced?
19. Do you think that the Official Secrets Act would come in the way of effective implementation of RTI Act? If yes. Why?
20. How to generate awareness among the people? Please give your suggestions.
21. How to change the mindset of officialdom which is basically inclined towards maintaining secrecy?
22. What would be the easiest mode of  payment of fees for seeking information? Should there be stamps of fixed value like the revenue stamps to be circulated through all post offices?
23. What should be done to avoid demand for frivolous information?
24. Would it be desirable to have a Single Window agency at the State (or UT) /District/Block levels which receives all information pertaining to the District/Taluka and then processes them further?
25. What is the feasibility of creating a single window for citizens seeking information? Can web-based and other mechanisms be evolved to create such a single window so that people need not approach various departments separately? What technical and physical infrastructure does the state need to facilitate the creation of the single window at the State/UT, District and Block level?
26. What can be done to create a single web-based source to give citizens easy access to all proactive disclosures made by public authorities of the Union and all the States/UTs? What can be done to facilitate similar easy access to all reports of Central Information Commission and all State / UT Information Commissions?
27. What formal and informal mechanisms are needed between the Union and States /UTs for effective coordination, sharing and dissemination of best practices, and creating easy single-window access to all citizens? Would a forum of Central Information Commission and all State / UT Information Commissions meeting periodically and taking decisions and pursuing them be of value in this regard? Who should take such an initiative?

( Note- the respondents may  furnish any other pertinent information/suggestion not included in the questionnaire)

Joint Secretary,

Administrative Reforms Commission,

2nd floor, Vigyan Bhawan Annexe,

New Delhi. PH: 011-23022424

arcommission@nic.in