The Indian Army has established a specialized Right to Information (RTI) cell within Sena Bhawan in Delhi, overseen by the Additional Director General of Military Training (ADG MT – AE). This cell is responsible for processing and providing information in response to all RTI requests filed under the Department of Defence that are related to the Army.
In addition to the central RTI cell, each formation and institution within the Army has designated a Public Information Officer (PIO) who facilitates the retrieval and dissemination of information sought through RTI. Individuals seeking information can directly contact the respective Records office, addressing their request to the designated PIO, such as PIO XYZ Records. The address of the Right to Information cell Sena Bhawan is as under:
RTI CELL, ADG MT (AE)
G-6, D-1 Wing, Sena Bhawan
IHQ Of MOD (Army)
New Delhi 110011
The Indian postal order is to be addressed in the name of GSO I RTI, for the above address.
To file an RTI in the Army, you need to follow these steps:
1. Write a formal application in the official language of the area, mentioning “Application under RTI Act 2005” at the top. (or Click here to download Readymade format)
2. Address the application to the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the relevant department or unit or Records of the Army. Or simply the Address of the RTI cell of the Indian army that is mentioned above.
3. State your request in the form of specific, detailed questions. Ask for documents or extracts of documents, if required. To obtain documents, you have to pay Rs. 2 per page. (this can be paid through Indian Postal order initially)
4. Attach the RTI fee in the form of IPO/DD/MO etc. as applicable, payable to the CPIO or the Accounts Officer of the department or unit.
5. Provide your full name, address, contact details, and email address and sign the application. Make a declaration that you are an Indian citizen.
6. Send the application by post or hand delivery to the CPIO or the designated APIO (Assistant Public Information Officer) of the department or unit and take the receipt.
7. Wait for a response within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application by the CPIO.
OR
You can also apply online through the RTI Portal if the department or unit is registered on it. Follow the following steps to File RTI under the RTI portal to get Information from the Department of Defence.
1. Visit the RTI Online Portal and click on “Submit Request”.
2. Read the guidelines carefully and agree to them by ticking the checkbox at the bottom. Then click on “Submit”.
3. Select “Ministry/Department/Apex body” as the public authority and choose “Department of Defence” from the drop-down menu. Then click on “Select Public Authority”.
4. Choose “Department of Military Affairs”
5. Fill in the required details such as your name, address, contact number, email, citizenship, etc. Write your RTI request in the form of specific, detailed questions. Ask for documents or extracts of documents, if required. To obtain documents, you have to pay Rs. 2 per page.
6. Make the payment of Rs. 10 as the its fee through the available online modes such as internet banking, debit/credit cards, UPI, etc. You will receive a unique registration number after the payment is successful. You can use this number to track the status of your RTI request.
7. You should receive a response within 30 days from the date of receipt of the RTI request by the CPIO or the APIO. If not, you can file an appeal to the Appellate Authority of the Department of Defence or the Department of Military Affairs through the same portal.
8. You should receive a response within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application by the CPIO or the APIO. If not, you can file an appeal to the Appellate Authority of the department or unit within 30 days from the expiry of the response period. If the Appellate Authority also fails to reply, you can file a second appeal to the Central Information Commission within 90 days from the expiry of the appeal period.
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