State Level RTI: Sikkim

Law

In May 2005, the national Right to Information Act 2005 was passed by Parliament. The RTI Act 2005 received Presidential assent on 15 June and came fully into force on 12 October 2005. (For more information on the passage of the RTI Act 2005 and implementation at the national level, click here.) The RTI Act 2005 covers all Central, State and local government bodies and applies to the State Government of Sikkim.

The Sikkim Government has started implementing the RTI Act 2005.

The Government has issued the Sikkim State Right to Information (Regulation of Fee, Costs and Miscellaneous) Rules, 2005.

The High Court at Sikkim notified The High Court of Sikkim Right to Information (Regulation of Fee, Cost and Miscellaneous) Rules 2007 which was published in the Sikkim Gazette on 23 May 2007 and came in to effect from that day.

Details of Fee & Costs

Second Appeals and complaints against non-disclosure of information may be filed with the Sikkim State Information Commission.

State Information Commission

Newsupdates, Activities & Advocacy

• The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Gangtok, in collaboration with other government media units like All India Radio, Doordarshan and Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) organised a five-day public information campaign about flagship programmes of Central government which started from 24 November at Old Children's Park, Gangtok.
• Mr DK Gazmer, has been appointed as the first Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of Sikkim.
• The Governor of Sikkim has constituted a selection committee to set up the State Information Commission in Sikkim. Committee members include Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr R B Subba and Congress MLA Acharya Tsering Lama.
• Mr TN Kazi, Joint Secretary of State Department of Personnel Affairs has informed that the RTI Act 2005 is being implemented fully in Sikkim and that PIOs have been appointed in all departments of the State. A State Information Commission will be set up shortly. The Commission will include a sitting MLA of the opposition party as a representative.
• In a memorandum, BJP state president H R Pradhan has requested the Governor to recommend to the Centre for President's Rule in Sikkim if the state government failed to implement the RTI Act by 31 October. The BJP leader said the state government failed to enforce the Act even within the period of 120 days. Mr Pradhan said his party had sought information regarding the implementation of the Act in a letter to the state Chief Secretary.

Resources & Articles

Government

• Right to Information Act 2005. (English)
• Right to Information Act 2005. (Hindi)
• Sikkim State Right to Information (Regulation of Fee, Costs and Miscellaneous) Rules, 2005.

CHRI

• CHRI (2005) Forwarding Information Requests and Appeals: A Step by Step Guide for Assistant Public Information Officers under the Right to Information Act 2005, prepared by Mr Venkatesh Nayak.
• CHRI (2005) Processing Information Requests: A Step by Step Guide for Assistant Public Information Officers under the Right to Information Act 2005, prepared by Mr Venkatesh Nayak.

Miscellaneous

• Staff Reporter (2005) Sikkim BJP sets Oct 31 deadline to implement of Information Act, 21 October, UNI.
  

Links

• Government of Sikkim
• Government of India (DOPT)
• National Campaign on People's Right to Information (NCPRI)
• Right to Information - Collection of RTI stories, articles, etc
• Info Change - Right to Information Pages
• India Together - Right to Information Pages