The Chief information commissioner (CIC) of India will soon have a new office complex in New Delhi. The CIC has been allotted land for a building at the old JNU Campus. The building will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 42.53 crore.

This information was given by union minister of state in PMO Jitendra Singh when CIC Vijai Sharma had a meeting with him.

The complex would be that all the offices related to central information commission under single roof in the same premises.

Jitendra Singh said, the Modi government is committed to bring in maximum transparency and therefore, facilitating easy and conducive functioning of the office of Chief Information Commissioner is a step in that direction.

Sharma informed Jitendra Singh that as on date, the number of RTI applications is quite high but different methods are being worked out to reduce the pendency.

Jitendra Singh said the emphasis on e-governance and placing all the relevant information in public domain has considerably improved transparency as well as accountability. As far as Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) is concerned, many of the orders relating to promotions and empanelments of the officers reach the concerned officer through the website even before a formal notification has been issued, he added.

Refuting the criticism in certain quarters that there is undue delay in disposing the RTI applications, Jitendra Singh said that a mechanism will be evolved in course of time for early disposal of RTI applications. The very fact that the RTI applications are increasing day by day is also a tribute to healthy democratic functioning and the readiness of the government to respond to every request for information to be placed in public domain, he observed.

He also discussed the plans to observe the 10th Anniversary of enactment of RTI Act, which falls on October, 12, 2015.