This Office Memorandum, issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, emphasizes the proactive disclosure of information by public authorities under Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. It highlights that public authorities should disseminate information regarding COVID-19 relief, rescue, and welfare measures through various channels, including media and official websites. This aligns with the mandate for transparency and ensures the public has easy access to essential information, thereby reducing the need for formal RTI requests.
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No: 1/6/2011-IR
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training
IR DIVISION
North Block, New Delhi-110001
Dated: $10^{\text {A }}$ July, 2020
Office Memorandum
Subject:- Supplementing the government measures on COVID-19 related relief and rescue operations employing the provisions of Section 4 of the RTI Act, 2005 -reg.
Section 4(2) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 mandates that every public authority should proactively disclose as much information suomotu to the public through various means of communications so that the public have minimum need to use the Act to obtain information.
2. Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005 lays down the information which should be disclosed by Public Authorities on a suomotu or proactive basis. Section 4(3) prescribes for wide dissemination of every information, in such form and manner which is easily accessible to the public. The disclosure of such information may be in as many mediums as feasible such as notice boards, newspapers, public announcements, media broadcast, the internet or any other means.
3. The Central Information Commission has taken note of the slew of measures undertaken by the Government for mitigation \& suppression of the hazards posed by the COVId-19 pandemic.
4. As requested by Central Information Commission, all the Public Authorities dealing with essential services should widely disseminate the government relief, rescue and other welfare actions, in the media as well as on their official websites in accordance with Section 4 of the RTI Act, 2005.
To
Secretary to all Ministries/Departments
Copy to:
(i) Chief Secretaries to all State Governments/Union Territories.
(ii) Secretary, Central Information Commission, Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka, New Delhi-110067