An RTI activist, who has filed an application to get information under RTI Act from Integrated Child Development Services Department (ICDS) of Rajnagar, was asked to pay a sum of Rs 50,000 to get the service.
RTI activist Anirudha Sethy of Rajnagar tehsil under recently received a letter from ICDS PIO of Rajnagar asking him to deposit Rs 50,000 to
get the information that he sought.
Sethy had wanted to get some information on the distribution of ‘Sattu’ among small children at the Anganwadi centres. It is alleged that there was massive corruption in the quality of the food diet distributed to the children, below three years of age at the Anganwadi center.
The fees that the PIO demanded were too huge. The cost of Xeroxed documents is Rs 2 per piece. They sought payment of Rs 25,000 alone for providing Xeroxed documents, said Sethy, adding, “The sole aim of the PIO is to harass me.”
“If the applicant does not deposit the amount within a week, then his right of
getting information will be denied,” clarified PIO Rajani Roul.