E-IPO to facilitate right to information from abroad
8 Jan, 2013In order to ease the process of filing application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from outside the country, the Department of Post in association with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has decided to launch e-IPO (postal orders) from the 15th of January. The date is not confirmed as yet and is liable to be shifted.
As of now, most of the Indians living abroad having a valid Indian passport face difficulty in submitting the application fee of Rs. 10-. They have to depend upon their relatives or friends in India to pay the required fee of Rs. 10 for submitting an application under the RTI Act.
Under the scheme, the e-IPO or a postal order can be easily purchased by the applicants living abroad using their credit or debit cards through internet. On buying the e-IPO, a number will be generated which the applicants will have to mention in their application. The mentioned number will be matched with the information available with the department of post and, if the information matches, the application will be accepted under the right to information.
It is not understood why the scheme is restricted to Indians living abroad. The same should be permitted even for the Indians who live in their own country.