Why in News?

• A report by Satark Nagrik Sangathan shows that nearly 3.15 lakh complaints and appeals are pending with 26 Information Commissions across India.

Status

• The backlog of appeals/ complaints is increasing every year.
• Maximum pending cases in Maharashtra(~99700) followed by U.P.
• Central Information Commission itself has 26,724 pending cases.
• 42 positions out of 165 of Information Commissioners are vacant.

Gaps

• Limited ambit of RTI.
• Threats to whistleblowers.
• Long waiting time for disposal.
• No punishment to errant officials.

Challenges

• Few Information Commissions are largely defunct.
• Dearth of Chief Information Commissioners.
• Inadequate representation of women (5% of total).
• Large vacancies and understaffed commissions.

Way Ahead

• Enhance human resources.
• Focus on speedy disposal.
• Protection of whistleblowers.
• Leverage digitalization.