After a plea filed by Magsaysay awardee and whistle-blower Indian Forest Service (IFS) Officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi with the Central Information Commission (CIC), the Central Information Commissioner has now asked Prime Minister Office (PMO) to disclose the black money brought back from other countries and how much of that amount has been deposited to the Indian citizens’ accounts.
CIC had to issue the order as the PMO declined to give replies to the RTI query by Chaturvedi saying that the questions being asked doesn’t come under the definition of “information” which can be accessed under the Right to Information Act.
The RTI query
Sanjeev had filed an RTI application to PMO on August 7, 2017, seeking answers to various questions related to black money, the progress of various government projects and others. Failing to get answers to most of the questions, Sanjeev filed a plea with CIC on November 15, 2017.
The answers to various questions the RTI seeks
- Sanjeev said, “As PM in his ‘Mann ki Batt’ has made claims stating about black money stashed in abroad and promise to bring it back. There must be efforts made in that direction”. He has sought for all the records pertaining to efforts made.
- All the complaints received by PMO between 2014 and 2017 against union ministers on corruption charges and details of inquiries conducted
- The CIC headed by Radha Krishna Mathur also asked PMO to give details/documents of action taken on allegations of corruption in AIIMS by Chaturvedi and role of Health Minister J P Nadda in it.
- The decision was taken on requests seeking an appointment with PM Modi made by Sanjeev Chaturvedi on September 26, 2014, and December 5, 2015.
- Money spent by the current regime on advertisements. ‘Information on various schemes of the BJP government such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Smart City Project’ which were transferred to the ministry concerned by the PMO’ reported Firstpost.
