DU students get RTI helpline
There is help at hand for Delhi University (DU) students keen on unearthing facts through Right to Information (RTI) Act. And it’s just a phone call away, reports Ritika Chopra.
There is help at hand for Delhi University (DU) students keen on unearthing facts through Right to Information (RTI) Act. And it’s just a phone call away.
Any queries about the Act and its use can now be addressed by a helpline launched last month for DU students.
“RTI is a popular tool to seek information on marksheets, examination and the moderation system. However, many don’t know that the key to get facts lies in asking the right questions,” Saurav Sharma, convenor of Youth Task Force, said. It was the YTF that launched the helpline.
The RTI Act, passed in 2005, mandates timely response to anyone seeking information from a government agency or government-funded institution. At DU, students have quite often used it to get information that the administration does not otherwise provide.
Through the helpline, the YTF aims to make the process of filing an RTI query simpler.
Apart from providing the names of the concerned Public Information Officers (PIOs) in different DU colleges and information on how to file a query, the helpline will also help students draft questions.
“The YTF has done a lot of RTI work in the university over the last two-and-half years. We are in constant touch with the PIOs and know what kind of questions will get the right answers. So, we are the best to help students,” added Sharma.
Currently there is just one helpline number (9990112334) on which DU students can call.