Information Under Section 4(1)(b)

Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizens’ requests for government information.
i. English
ii. Hindi

Under the Right to Information Act 2005, citizens of India may send applications seeking information of public interest relevant to Embassy of India, Thimphu  to the following officers:

These officers would be available on regular working days of the Embassy from 9.00 AM to 5.30 PM and can be met with prior appointment.
Please also note that:

(i) Under the RTI Act, information can be sought only by Indian citizens. For this, copy of applicant’s passport as proof of Indian citizenship has to be provided by eligible applicants in Bhutan. More information is available at  http://rti.gov.in
(ii) Postal address of applicant needs to be provided.
(iii) Application seeking information under the Act has to follow prescribed procedure in the Act, including payment of prescribed fee. Please bring a Demand Draft/Cheque of Rs 10 made in favor. Controller of Accounts, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi along with each application (Indian Citizens below the poverty line are exempted from payment of fee)

It may also be pointed out that as per section 6(1) (a) of the RTI Act, 2005, a person who desires to obtain information under the Act is required to submit the application to the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the “concerned public authority”. Applicants are, therefore, advised to send their requests under the RTI Act to the Embassy of India, Thimphu only when the subject matter can reasonably be presumed to pertain to the Embassy of India, Thimphu. While section 6(3) provides for the transfer of an application by a receiving PIO to another [concerned] PIO, this is clearly meant to cover situations where the application is addressed to a PIO on the assumption that it has been directed to the concerned PIO. Where the information required obviously does not pertain to the Indian Embassy, Thimphu, the application may be addressed to the concerned PIO directly

Payment of RTI fee online - Electronic Indian Postal Order (eIPO)

The scheme of Electronic Indian Postal Order (eIPO) has been launched by the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in association with Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). This would enable the Indian citizens abroad to pay the RTI fee online.

An Indian Postal Order can be purchased electronically by paying a fee on-line through e-Post Office Portal or through India Post website. The web-links for payment are:

• www.indiapost.gov.in
• https://www.epostoffice.gov.in

The Credit Card or Debit Card of any bank powered by Visa/ Master can be used for this purpose.

Procedure

The RTI applicant is required to register on the website to create his/ her profile. Then he has to select the Ministry/ Department from whom he desires to seek information under the RTI Act. The eIPO is generated which can be used to seek information from that Ministry/ Department only. A printout of the eIPO is required to be attached with the RTI application sent in hard copy. In case RTI application is filed electronically, the eIPO is enclosed as an attachment. The profile is required to be created during the first time only.

The RTI application accompanied by an eIPO is similar in all respects to the RTI application accompanied by fees through any other approved mode. All the provisions regarding eligibility, time limit, exemptions etc; as provided in the RTI Act, 2005 continue to apply.

Currently, this facility is available only for Indian Citizens living anywhere other than in India. By this measure, those living abroad would be facilitated to seek information under the RTI Act, 2005. It is hoped that in future, this facility would be extended to all citizens within the country too. Any public authority which accepts a postal order should also accept an eIPO.

DOPT vide its O.M. No. 1/44/2009-IR dated 07th October 2013 has extended the e-IPO facility to 176 Indian Missions/Posts abroad also.

DOPT vide its O.M. dated 13.02.14 has extended the e-IPO facility to Indians residing in India also.