The primary goals of the RTI Act are to empower citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in a real sense.
Nature of the Act: It is a tool for accessing information held by public authorities, not a mechanism for grievance redressal.
The RTI Act is not designed to resolve specific citizen grievances or complaints against the government. Providing a time-bound mechanism for grievance redressal is generally the function of separate statutes, such as the Public Service Guarantee Acts implemented by various states.
The Act received Presidential assent on June 15, 2005, and came into force fully on October 12, 2005.
The Supreme Court of India has consistently held that the right to information is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of speech and expression.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) and State Information Commissions (SIC) are the statutory authorities established under this Act to adjudicate on complaints and appeals related to information requests.
