Hry govt directs recovery of pending RTI penalties

Chandigarh: In a decisive move to strengthen accountability under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Haryana govt has directed all departments to ensure the immediate recovery of pending penalties imposed by the State Information Commission. The total outstanding penalty amount stands at ₹2,94,87,657, which is to be recovered from defaulting State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) across various departments.In a letter issued by chief secretary Anurag Rastogi to all administrative secretaries and heads of departments, clear instructions were given to implement the recovery process in a time-bound manner.
To ensure smooth compliance, the govt approved a structured monthly instalment mechanism instead of lump-sum recovery. As per the approved schedule, recovery will be effected by the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) from the salaries or pensions of the concerned officers. Class-A officers will contribute ₹10,000 per month (₹5,000 in the case of retired officers), Class-B officers ₹7,000 per month (₹3,500 if retired), and Class-C officers ₹4,000 per month (₹2,000 if retired) until the entire outstanding amount is recovered. The govt clarified that in cases where the concerned SPIO expired, the penalty shall be waived. For serving Sarpanches, recovery will be made at ₹3,000 per month from their honorarium. Cases involving ex-sarpanches will be referred to the respective deputy commissioners for action under applicable revenue laws. Administrative secretaries were asked to personally monitor compliance and submit periodic status reports to the State Information Commission, underscoring the govt's commitment to transparency and institutional discipline. MSID: 128462383 413 |