All government ministries have published mandatory information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act for the first time.
The Right to Information Act, which came into force in 2014, requires public bodies to proactively publish key information such as roles and responsibilities, organisational structure, services provided and complaint procedures. While the Information Commission has noted past shortcomings in proactive disclosure, the current administration has said compliance will now be maintained regularly by ministries and state-owned companies.
All ministries, including the President’s Office, have now published the required data, leading to full compliance as of 7 June. The achievement was confirmed by Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed in a social media post. He welcomed the progress but said it is only the first step toward full transparency. He urged ministries to ensure agencies under its umbrella also publish required information, and stressed the importance of regular updates and timely responses to RTI requests.
Under Article 37 of the RTI Act, authorities must proactively disclose 13 categories of information at least once a year. These categories include functions, services, decision-making processes, complaints systems, and administrative details of the entity. It aims to strengthen transparency and improve public access to government information.