Just say hello for gaining information

NEW DELHI: Citizens across the country can now exercise their Right to Information (RTI) on the phone and internet. Inspired by the success of Jaankari, a Bihar state government initiative to accept RTI applications through phone calls, the Centre is all set to replicate the model across the nation.

Listing his priorities after taking over as the minister of state for personnel and public grievances here on Friday, Mr Prithviraj Chavan said the Government of India would soon facilitate RTI queries through the phone and internet by adopting the Jaankari model, albeit with ���more refinements in technology.��� The process of its implementation will be taken up first in a few select states like Delhi, he said.

The Bihar government���s citizen-centric Jaankari project had earned it the national e-governance award last year. Using the effective tool of voice communication, thus enabling even the poor and uneducated to file RTI queries, the Jaankari initiative only involves making a phone call by dialling 155311 and communicating details of the desired information to a call centre person. The call centre executive then drafts an RTI application and sends it to the public authority concerned.

Another pending initiative that may be decided soon is separation of the prosecution and investigation functions of CBI by setting up an independent Directorate of Prosecution. ���A cabinet note in this regard will soon be moved and a final decision taken,��� shared Mr Chavan.