Right to Information

RTI Act 2005 is a landmark legislation designed to promote transparency and accountability in the functioning of every public authority.  It provides a comprehensive mechanism to Indian citizen to secure information under control of the Government.

The full text of the RTI Act is available on the website :
RTI-Act-English.pdf
RTI-Act-Hindi.pdf

The RTI Act also provides for appeals by aggrieved persons to the Central Information Commission of the Government of India.

In pursuance of Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005, the Embassy of India, Berlin has designated the following officers as the RTI Public Information Officer and RTI Appellate Authority to deal with the RTI applications from Indian nationals and NRIs working and living in Germany in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia:

• Mr. Vaibhav Rawat, Second Secretary (Commercial and CPIO)
  Central Public Information Officer under RTI Act
  Embassy of India, Tiergarten Strasse 17, 10785, Berlin
  Fax: +49 30 2579 5310
  Email: com1[dot]berlin[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in
• Mr. Mandeep Singh Tuli,
  Appellate Authority under RTI Act
  Embassy of India, Tiergarten Strasse 17, 10785, Berlin
  Email: minca[dot]berlin[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in

The above officers would be available on regular working days of the Embassy during 9.00 AM to 5.30 PM and can be met with prior appointment. Their postal address is also mentioned above.

It may be noted that information provided under the Act is available to citizens of India only. Applications should be submitted along with documentary proof of Indian Citizenship (e.g. Copy of passport.) More information is available at http://rti.gov.in. 

It may also be pointed out that as per section 6(1) (a) of the RTI Act, 2005, a person who desires to obtain information under the Act is required to submit the application to the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the "concerned public authority". Applicants are, therefore, advised to send their requests under the RTI Act to the Embassy only when the subject matter can reasonably be presumed to pertain to the Embassy. While section 6(3) provides for the transfer of an application by a receiving PIO to another [concerned] PIO, this is clearly meant to cover situations where the application is addressed to a PIO on the assumption that it has been directed to the concerned PIO. Where the information required obviously does not pertain to the Embassy, the application may be addressed to the concerned PIO directly.

Fee for filing RTI Application

1. The fee for requesting information through an RTI application from the CPIO is Rs.10.  Applications seeking information under the RTI Act, 2005 may be sent along with the prescribed fee in Euros, equivalent to Indian Rupees 10/- which may be deposited in Embassy's IBAN account no. DE07 1007 0000 0765 812300 indicating therein that it is for 'Right to Information'. [The official rate of exchange for a particular month may be ascertained from the Embassy].
2. Applicants who are below the poverty line are exempt from the RTI fee on production of the BPL certificate.
3. Charges for xerox copy of document, information provided in diskette or floppy etc. would be as per actual charges.

Facility of e-IPO for payment of fee under the RTI Act, 2005

The Department of Personnel and Training and Department of Posts have launched a service called e-IPO (Electronic Indian Postal Order) to enable Indian Citizens residing in India or abroad to purchase an Indian Postal Order electronically by paying fee on-line through e-Post Office Portal i.e. http://www.epostoffice.gov.in,  to enable them to seek information under the RTI Act, 2005.  It can also be accessed through India Post Website, i.e. www.indiapost.gov.in.  An e-IPO so generated must be used only once with an RTI application.

Procedure

To seek information under RTI Act, 2005, the RTI applicant is required to register on https://rtionline.gov.in . He has to select the Ministry/Department/Name of Mission/Post abroad from whom he desires to seek the information under the RTI Act and the e-IPO so generated can be used to seek information from that Ministry/Department only. A printout of the e-IPO is required to be attached with the RTI application sent in hard copy. In case the RTI application is being filed electronically, e-IPO is required to be attached as an attachment. The profile is required to be created during the first time only.

The RTI application accompanied by an e-IPO is similar in all respects to the RTI application accompanied by fees through any other approved mode. All the requirements for filing an RTI application as well as other provisions regarding eligibility, time limit, exemptions, etc. will continue to apply.

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