NRIs in US have Right to Information

The efforts of RTI activists in the US and India since November 2006 have been rewarded with the Indian Embassy in Washington DC being brought under the purview of the RTI Act, 2005. A Public Information Officer has accordingly been appointed to facilitate the service at the embassy.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the US can exercise their right to
information by filing an RTI at the embassy. The query would be forwarded
to the department in India and a response is assured within 35 days.

NRIs have been quick to exercise their right, with 10 applications
already filed within days of the announcement. Filing an RTI
application, either in writing or electronically, is a simple process
entailing a nominal payment of 24 cents to the Public Information Officer.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) in India has been very
instrumental in bringing the Indian embassy in the US under the
purview of the RTI Act.

The Right to Information Act came into force in October 2005
with the objective of bringing transparency and accountability
in the functioning of every public body.

It grants citizens of
India the access to information, and binds every public authority
to maintain and index computerized and online records to facilitate
access.