Seeking information regarding TA DA given to MPs using RTI
21 Jan, 2013Background
The appellant filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with the Lok Sabha Secretariat seeking information relating to the reimbursement of the travelling and daily allowance given to all the Members of Parliament (MPs) for a period of three years. The Public Information Officer (PIO) informed the appellant that providing such information would disproportionately divert the resources of the Lok Sabha secretariat.
Proceedings
During the hearing before the Central Information Commission (CIC), the respondent stated that in compliance of earlier orders passed by the CIC, the Lok Sabha secretariat was currently undertaking a project to upload all details regarding the journeys undertaken by the MPs, in their website and that this would be completed in a time bound manner in a short while.
View of CIC
The Central Information Commission (CIC) observed that there are more than 500 MPs in the Lok Sabha and each one of them would have undertaken numerous journeys during this period of three years. The Commission also held that unless the desired details are maintained centrally in a compiled from collecting this information for each one of them under separate heads as prescribed by the appellant would be a highly time consuming task. It clearly has the potential to divert the resources of the Lok Sabha secretariat and the PIO could not provide the information. The Commission urged that this exercise should be completed at the earliest and the entire information is uploaded in the Lok Sabha secretariat website before the end of this financial year and subsequently all new information in this regard can be uploaded alongside the passing of all such bills. The CIC directed the PIO to place this order before the competent authorities for taking appropriate action.
Citation: Mr. B N P Singh v. Lok Sabha Secretariat in File No. CIC/SM/A/2012/001036
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2013/CIC/977
Click here to view original RTI order of Court / Information Commission