Information Lapses Persist: RTI Non-Compliance in Delhi's Health Department

Chief Information Commissioner Raj Kumar Goyal has raised concerns over continued non-compliance with the RTI Act by the Delhi government's health department. Despite 20 years since the Act's implementation, public information officers remain unaware of their duties, leading to significant delays in processing RTI applications.

The Chief Information Commissioner, Raj Kumar Goyal, has expressed significant concerns over the persistent non-compliance with the Right to Information (RTI) Act by the health department of the Delhi government, despite the Act being in place for two decades.

In a recent order, Goyal highlighted the lack of awareness among public information officers and first appellate authorities of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) about their statutory obligations. This issue emerged during the handling of a second appeal related to an RTI request filed last year, seeking inspection reports and registration details of a West Delhi private hospital.

The commission documented that a reply from the public information officer was only furnished after an eight-month delay, post intervention, underscoring a systemic issue. Consequently, Goyal has communicated the need for action and accountability within RTI functionaries to the principal secretary (Health) and has issued a show-cause notice for potential penalization of the involved officer.

(With inputs from agencies.)