Right to Information Act, 2005 / Section 26

Section 26 RTI Act 2005: Government Awareness Programmes and Guides

Section 26 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 concerns public education, training of information officers, publication of user-friendly guides and their updating by the appropriate Government. It helps people, particularly disadvantaged communities, understand how to exercise the right to information.

What is the appropriate Government under the RTI Act?

Section 2(a) defines the "appropriate Government" in relation to a public authority established, constituted, owned, controlled or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the Central Government or Union territory administration, or by a State Government, as applicable. The Central or relevant State Government is therefore responsible for the corresponding programmes and guides under Section 26.

Section 2(h) defines "public authority" to include authorities, bodies and institutions of self-government established or constituted under the Constitution, laws or government notifications, as well as specified substantially financed bodies and non-government organisations.

Section 26(1): Education, awareness and training

To the extent financial and other resources are available, the appropriate Government may take the following measures:

  1. Clause (a): Develop and organise educational programmes to improve public understanding of RTI rights, especially among disadvantaged communities.
  2. Clause (b): Encourage public authorities to participate in developing and organising such programmes and to undertake programmes themselves.
  3. Clause (c): Promote timely and effective dissemination of accurate information about the activities of public authorities.
  4. Clause (d): Train Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) and State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) and produce training materials for use by public authorities.

The words "may" and "to the extent of availability of financial and other resources" are important qualifications in subsection (1); they should not be presented as an unconditional duty to hold a particular number of training programmes.

Section 26(2): Official RTI guide

The appropriate Government shall compile a guide in its official language in an easily comprehensible form and manner for people wishing to exercise their rights under the Act. The statute originally required compilation within 18 months of commencement of the Act; this was an initial statutory deadline, not a new rolling 18-month period for every guide.

Section 26(3): Information that the guide must cover

Where necessary, the appropriate Government must update and publish the guide at regular intervals. In particular, the guide should contain the following statutory subjects:

  1. (a) Objects of the RTI Act.
  2. (b) Postal and street addresses, telephone and fax numbers and, if available, email addresses of CPIOs or SPIOs appointed under Section 5(1).
  3. (c) Manner and form for requesting access to information from a CPIO or SPIO.
  4. (d) Assistance available from, and duties of, the CPIO or SPIO.
  5. (e) Assistance available from the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission.
  6. (f) Legal remedies for action or inaction affecting RTI rights and duties, including how to appeal to the Commission.
  7. (g) Voluntary or proactive disclosure of records under Section 4.
  8. (h) Notices about fees for information requests.
  9. (i) Additional regulations or circulars relating to access to information under the Act.

Section 26(4): Keeping guidance up to date

Subsection (4) separately states that the appropriate Government must, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines at regular intervals. This reinforces the obligation to keep RTI guidance useful as contact details, rules and procedures change. The Act does not prescribe a universal fixed number of months between updates.

How Section 26 helps an RTI applicant

An applicant can consult official RTI guides for the relevant public authority, identify the appropriate CPIO or SPIO, check prescribed fees and filing methods, and understand complaint and appeal remedies. For Central Government authorities, the RTI Online portal facilitates online RTI applications and first appeals; it should not be used for State Government authorities unless the relevant service is expressly supported.

Related sections: Section 4 requires specified proactive disclosures by public authorities; Section 5 deals with designation and duties of information officers; Section 6 governs information requests; Section 7 addresses disposal of requests and applicable time limits; Section 18 provides for complaints to Information Commissions; and Section 19 sets out the appeals mechanism. Section 26 supplements these provisions through public education and official guidance; it does not itself replace the application or appeal procedure.

Official Act and government resources

For State public authorities, refer to the concerned State Government's RTI rules, guide and Information Commission website. Procedures and fee rules may differ.