KARIMNAGAR: State Information Commissioner L Thantiya Kumari has directed all the universities in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states to collect only ₹100 from the students for issuing photo copies of total answer sheets sought by them under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
As per the RTI Act, the authorities should charge only ₹2 per copy from the RTI activists for the collection of information. However, the Osmania University, Kakatiya University and Satavahana University were collecting ₹1,000 from the students. On the other hand, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Hyderabad was collecting ₹5,000 for answer sheets. The OU went a step ahead and issued orders stating that the students should not ask answer sheets under RTI Act.
Lok Satta Udyama Samstha district unit president N. Srinivas filed a case with the State Information Commissioner about the universities flouting the RTI Act norms and exploiting the students. The Commissioner after listening to the arguments from the representatives of the universities directed all the universities to collect only ₹100 for total answer sheet from the candidates.
Mr. Srinivas said that the Information Commissioner’s decision was a New Year gift to the students and an end to the fleecing of the student community by the universities.
