2017 · GS Paper 4 · Q14 · 20 marks
You are a Public Information Officer (PIO) in a government department. You are aware that the RTI Act, 2005 envisages transparency and accountability in administration. The act has functioned as a check on the supposedly arbitrary administrative behaviour and actions. However, as a PIO you have observed that there are citizens who filed RTI applications not for themselves but on behalf of such stakeholders who purportedly want to have access to information to further their own interests. At the same time there are those RTI activists who routinely file RTI applications and attempt to extort money from the decision makers. This type of RTI activism has affected the functioning of the administration adversely and also possibly jeopardizes the genuineness of the applications which are essentially aimed at getting justice. What measures would you suggest to separate genuine and non-genuine applications ? Give merits and demerits of your suggestions.
In short
Since Section 6(2) of the RTI Act bars asking an applicant's motive, a PIO should separate genuine from abusive applications by targeting conduct: proactive disclosure, lawful exemptions for proxies and police action against extortion. Publishing every reply online removes an extortionist's leverage without denying honest citizens their right.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 265 words
Proactive disclosure (Section 4)
Public information cannot be used for extortion; demerit: upfront workload.
Publish all replies online
An extortionist loses leverage once replies are public; demerit: personal data needs careful redaction.
Third-party notice and exemptions
Section 11 and Sections 8(1)(d) and (j) block proxies seeking a rival's data; demerit: may be stretched to deny genuine requests.
Commission review and police
Refer serial filings to the Information Commission and report extortion to the police; demerit: may brand persistent activists as vexatious.
No motive test
Never ask for reasons, avoiding a Confirmation Bias against frequent filers.
Protect applicants
Keep their details confidential, remembering Satish Shetty, killed in Pune in 2010 [current event].
Clean files
Recorded, lawful decisions leave nothing to blackmail, the openness the 2nd ARC (2006) [committee/report] called the master key to good governance.
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Policy Design and Reform3 questions
Asked in 2 of 14 sittings since 2013
- 2016Land needed for mining, dams and other large-scale projects is acquired mostly from Adivasis, hill dwellers and rural communities. The displaced persons are paid monetary compensation as per the legal provisions. However, the payment is often tardy. In any case, it cannot sustain the displaced families for long. These people do not possess marketable skills to engage in some other occupation. They end up as low paid migrant labourers. Moreover, their traditional ways of community living are destroyed. Thus, the benefits of development go to industries, industrialists and urban communities whereas the costs are passed on to these poor helpless people. This unjust distribution of costs and benefits is unethical. Suppose you have been entrusted with the task of drafting a better compensation-cum-rehabilitation policy for such displaced persons, how would you approach the problem and what would be the main elements of your suggested policy ?
- 2016Saraswati was a successful IT professional in USA. Moved by the patriotic sense of doing something for the country she returned to India. Together with some other like-minded friends, she formed an NGO to build a school for a poor rural community. The objective of the school was to provide the best quality modern education at a nominal cost. She soon discovered that she has to seek permission from a number of Government agencies. The rules and procedures were quite confusing and cumbersome. What frustrated her most was the delays, callous attitude of officials and constant demand for bribes. Her experience and the experience of many others like her has deterred people from taking up social service projects. A measure of Government control over voluntary social work is necessary. But it should not be exercised in a coercive or corrupt manner. What measures can you suggest to ensure that due control is exercised but well meaning, honest NGO efforts are not thwarted ?
Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2017 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.