The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the Government to consider allowing use of postal stamps in place of postal orders as application fee for submission of RTI queries.
In a recent order, the CIC has pointed out problems in en-cashing the postal orders. In spate cases, Information Commissioners RK Jain and Raghubir Singh have made a common recommendation to the Department of Personnel and Training for implementing postal stamps as a mode of payment of RTI fee thus reducing hassles of applicants.RTI applicants have to pay Rs10 either by way of cash, demand drafts or postal orders. Some authorities like Army and Indian Air Force refuse to accept applications drawn in favour of Accounts Officer despite clear directives of the Department of Personnel and Training causing hassles to applicants.“The appellant has submitted that the postal department’s recommendation for use of ordinary postal stamps for payment of RTI fee is both practical and user friendly. The Commission finds merit in the appellant’s submissions and would urge the DoPT to consider this at the earliest.
“In this connection it is noted that the Government of Tamil Nadu has already allowed payment of RTI fee by affixing court fee stamps,” Information Commissioner Basant Seth said in the matter of activist RK Jain. Agreeing with Seth, Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu also issued an exhaustive order on the issue recommending to DoPT to avail the opportunity of giving New Year Gift to the citizens by permitting and publicising the use of ordinary postal stamps for the payment of RTI fee.
“Accepting postal stamps for RTI fee would resolve many difficulties in payment, besides preventing wastage of public money in returning or rejecting the IPOs or spending much larger amounts than Rs10, for realising Rs10, and avoidable litigation,” he said. Acharyulu said returning the IPO to the appellant involves writing a letter on a white paper, covering in an envelop, spending public office’s time which could have been used for some other productive work besides spending Rs25 or Rs30 for speed post. The case relates to applicant Raghubir Singh whose application was rejected an year ago as it was not correctly drawn in the favour of authority designated by the Directorate of Education, Government of Delhi.