Frame eligibility of PIOs appearing for AIIMS admission: CIC

Although Avasarala had filed the RTI application in August 2009,he could not get a reply from the ministry even after a year. The ministry said the condition had been finalised from their side but was stuck at the Health Ministry which is the controlling body for AIIMS and other medical institutes.

Avasarala complained to the CIC that he did not receive a satisfactory reply from the Ministry and his efforts with the Health Ministry had also gone in vain.

He said he had pursued the matter for the last three years with both ministries but all he could get in RTI replies was “Overseas Affairs Ministry has completed task of finalising eligibility conditions of OCI but its on Health Ministry side that work is pending”.

He claimed that due to lack of information from the Government on the subject of his RTI application,his daughter stood to suffer.

“Ministry of Health is directed to provide full and complete answers to the appellant within two weeks and provide a speaking order which gives information to the appellant regarding the approximate time frame within which they propose to complete action on their part which will result in creating eligibility to OCI/PIO at par with Indian citizens to write the entrance test for admission to medical institutes,” Information Commissioner Deepak Sandhu held.

Sandhu said it was “unfortunate that vague and cumbersome” answers were provided to the appellant in the last three years during which he had sought information on this subject.

“Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is directed to put in place a system of receiving and processing of RTI applications so that in future such situations are avoided where RTI applications are misplaced and consequently information is not provided beyond the time frame mended under the RTI Act,” she said.