New Delhi, May 14 (IANS): The Central Information Commission (CIC) will start hearing Right to Information (RTI) Act applications from Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh from Friday, Union Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.
The announcement came after he met Chief Information Commissioner Bimal Julka, who called on him here.
The Minister said that applicants from J&K and Ladakh can file RTI applications from home and no one will have to travel outside even for appeals to the CIC. This will usher in a new culture of "Justice from Home", he said.
Applicants from both the UTs can file first appeal before the designated officers and can avail the facility of hearing from home for second appeal before the CIC. Moreover, the applicants can file RTI anytime through the online mechanism.
The Minister also said that any citizen of India can now file RTI pertaining to matters related to J&K and Ladakh, which was reserved to only citizens of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, before the Reorganisation Act of 2019.
Following the passage of the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, the J&K Right to Information Act 2009 and the Rules there under were repealed and Right to Information Act 2005 and the Rules there under were enforced from October 31 last year.
Singh stated that concerted efforts for smooth transition from the J&K RTI Act 2009 to the Central RTI Act Awere taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the CIC. He said that 111 second appeals or complaints (fresh cases) from J&K have been registered in the CIC till May 10 this year consequent to the Reorganisation Act, 2019.
Training for Central Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities is being planned and registration or alignment of public authorities of J&K and Ladakh on RTI online portal of DoPT is also being taken up with DoPT.
At present, all information commissioners are hearing cases and CIC headquarters are functioning with 33 per cent official staff to maintain social distancing norms in fight against novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry said.
It added that senior information commissioners are hearing cases from the office over video conferencing.