NRIs Protest Against No Right to File RTI, Centre Rejects

Have you ever heard about RTI?

If yes, then might not know that NRIs are excluded from this right. The non-residents of India (NRI) can’t file the RTI. It’s what the Lok Sabha publicized on Wednesday.

What’s an RTI?

If you elaborate, it stands for the Right to Information. All citizens of India have this right. If you look at its current status, nearly 2,200 public authorities have been deployed to look into its processing and reply online, MoS PMO Jitender Singh came with this fact.

The Parliament of India replaced the Freedom to Right Act, 2002 with the Right to Information Act on 12 October, 2005. It explicitly empowers any citizen of India to seek information from a ‘Public Authority’. In return, the authority shall have to reply expeditiously. The duration for processing RTI should not be longer than 30 days.

This Act mandates digitization of all records of every public authority so that it can be disseminated proactively under a certain categories of information.

What does Lok Sabha say about the NRIs right to file the RTI?

A negative reply in writing was sent by the Union Minister Jitendra Singh. He said, “RTI is not a right of the non-residents as they don’t cover under the provisions of the right to information Act, 2005. Therefore, they are not eligible to use this right.”

Every day witnesses almost 4,800 RTIs. Since its commencement, over 17, 500,000 writs have been received online.

How do NRIs protest against prohibiting the RTI Act for them?  

1. Disqualifying NRIs from RTI Act is a shame:

An NRI from Onam stated on the news minute that the government doesn’t equate them with the other citizens of India.

Full with the grudge, the NRI asked why they can’t be facilitated with the right that people living in India can enjoy. He further asked why this right doesn’t mean for them if they ask the questions that bracket under its right. He wanted to seek the answer over why vulnerability to this Act is unavailable online for us.

2. Difficult to visit embassy for seeking information:

The non-residents find it extremely tough to visit the far located embassy in the foreign country. For them, it’s very impractical to drive down the place and take away the requisite information.

3. It’s a kind of discrimination:

The Indian legislation doesn’t have any provision for NRIs to cast their vote. During elections, they are treated just like a foreigner. They don’t have this right either. They seek it as a kind of discrimination. On one hand, the central government iterates for promoting ‘Digital India’ movement. For participation in the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, they have to register online only. But, when it comes to awarding the accessibility to information online, it’s not available yet.

Erstwhile, an amendment was introduced for the emigrants. They had to get orange-colour passport for Emigration Clearance Required category. It belonged to those who fly abroad for employment. But later, the government had to take it back.

A curtain raiser to NRIs RTI right:

The central government is alleged to amend the RTI Act. The veterans of law and politicians assumed it a hapless act.

In the absence of the Chief Information Commissioner R.K. Mathur, the Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu passed the deficiencies in the RTI bill in writing to the senior most Commissioner-Yashovardhan Azad.

All Commissioners unanimously rejected the bill that cites changes in the Right to Information bill, 2018.