Movement for the right to information is a global phenomenon laws on Right to Information have already been enacted by over 50 countries and 20 more are seriously considering to have such legislation.  The countries are not limited to the advanced western democracies only; but represent a wide spectrum ranging from the emerging nation states from Africa through the developing countries of Asian and Latin America to the nascent democracies of Eastern Europe

               Right to Information is a basic human right.  It is derived from the universal declaration of human rights which states that every one should be able to enjoy freedom of opinion and expression including the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas.  The guarantee is now widely understood as including openness on the part of Govt. and right of access to information in possession of Govt.

               The current emphasis on  Right to information is however, based on the need for transparency in Govt.  Transparency enhances credibility and legitimacy of Govt. Higher levels of transparency and effective information flows can be seen as a major instrument for “empowering” the citizen.  Empowerment helps citizens secure their rights and entitlements.

                An effective and transparent flow of information exposes inequalities and abject poverty, and enables effective policy responses for ensuring food security and livelihoods and for reducing poverty and deprivation.  According to Amartya Sen: “No country with a free press has ever experienced a femine; the challenge has not been an overall  unavailability of food, but unavailability of information as to what was really transpiring.

                Transparency is a major deterrent to corruption and helps avoid the risk of state capture through grand corruption.

                Right to information laws reflect the basic premise that Govt. is meant to serve the people and are based on the notion that public bodies hold information not for themselves, but as custodians of a public good and that this information must be available to the general public

               The purpose of this hand book is to make proactive disclosure of information available with the Collectorate  for information of General public and to facilitate them in seeking informations.

               All the bonafide citizens of India are entitled to seek information under the provisions of Right to Information Act, 2005.

               Information pertaining to working of all the sections of the Collectorate are available, viz

1. Revenue
2. Bill,Budget And Establishment
3. Nizarat
4. Judicial
5. Touzi
6. Sports
7. Development
8. General And Miscellaneous
9. Audit Cell
10. Emergency
11. Election
12. Social Welfare
13. Welfare
14. Panchayat
15. Planning
16. Culture
17. Information and Public Relation
18. Small Savings
19. Tourism
20. Excise
21. Civil Supply
22. Zilla Sarba Sikshya Samiti. etc

a)      “appropriate Government” means in relation to a public authority which is established, constituted, owned controlled or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly –

(i)                  by the central Government or the Union territory administration, the Central Government.

(ii)                by the State Government, the State Government;

b)      “Central Information Commission” means  the Central Information Commission constituted under Sub-Section (1) of section 12;

(c)                “Central Public Information Officer” means the Central Public Information Officer designated under sub-section (1) and includes an Central Assistant Public Information Officer designated as such under sub-section (2) of section 5;

(d)               “Chief information Commissioner” and “Information Commissioner” mean the Chief Information Commissioner  and Information Commissioner, appointed under sub-section (3) of section 12.

(e)                “competent authority means –

(i)                  the Speaker in the case of the House of  the people or the Legislative Assembly of a State or a Union territory having such Assembly and the Chairman in the case of the Council of States or Legislative Council of a State;

(ii)                the Chief Justice of India in the case of the Supreme Court;

(iii)               the Chief Justice of the High Court in the case of a High Court;

(iv)              the President or the Governor, as the case may be in the case of other authorities established or constituted by or under the Constitution;

(v)                the administrator appointed under article 239 of the Constitution;

(f)     “information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force;

(g)                “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act by the appropriate Government or the competent authority, as the case may be;

(h)                “public authority” means any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted-

(a)      by or under the Constitution;

(b)      by any other law made by Parliament;

(c)      by any other law made by State Legislature;

(d)      by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any-

(1)       body owned, controlled or substantially financed;

(2)       non-Government organization substantially financed,

directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government;

(i)                  “record” includes-

(a)    any document, manuscript and file;

(b)   any microfilm, microfiche and facsimile copy of a document;

(c)    any reproduction of image or images embodied in such microfilm (whether enlarged or not), and

(d)   any other material produced by a computer or any other device;

(j)                 “right to information” means the right to information accessible under this Act which is held by or under the control of any public authority and includes the right to-

(i)                  inspection of work, documents, records;

(ii)                taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records;

(iii)               taking certified samples of material;

(iv)              obtaining information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts where such information is stored in a computer or in any other device;

(k)               “State Information Commission” means the State Information Commission constituted under sub-section (1) of section 15;

(l)                  “State Chief Information Commissioner” and “ State Information Commissioner” mean the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information commissioner appointed under sub-section (3) of section 15;

(m)              “State Public Information Officer” means the State Public Information Officer designated under sub-section (1) and includes a State Assistant Public Information Officer designated as such under sub-section (2) of section 5;

(n)                 “third party” means a person other than the citizen making a request for information and includes a public authority.

     Interaction with public will be a continuous process.

         Shri Alekhchandra Das, O.A.S is working as Public Information Officer and Sri Padaravind Mishra ,is the designated clerk attached to Office of the P.I.O.

               The applicant seeking information shall submit an application duly filled in accompanied with a receipt in support of  deposit of the application fee before the P.I.O or the designated clerk available. The applicant  shall be  granted a receipt to the applicant in Support of the receipt of the application. Thereafter, the applicant shall be intimated to deposit the cost if any within a period of 15 days. After receipt of the cost within the stipulated time, the information shall  be prepared and provided to the applicant within a period of 30 days excluding the time consumed between date of issue of intimation to deposit the cost and the date on which the cost is actually deposited.

The Officer-in-Charge, Gen.& Misc. has been designated as Public Information Officer in respect of Collectorate, Koraput. A cell is functioning in the G&M Section, for the purpose of providing information to the citizen. Any citizen seeking information may contact the dealing assistant in-charge of the information seat.

The applicant will apply for information in form “A” pasted in the Office notice board located at the main office building. The application will be received accompanied with the money receipt obtainable from the P.I.O. on payment of requisite fee and cost if any deposited for that purpose. The Dealing Asst. will grant receipts in support of receipt of the application and requisite fee and cost. The information will be provided with-in a period of 30 days as per provisions of the Act. The information can also be obtained through notice board, inspection of record and issuing of copies of documents.

The requisite fee and cost if any are as follows.