CIC asks PMO to respond to RTI query on Modi's black money promise

"At the time of the (2014) election, it was announced that black money will be brought back to India and Rs. 15 lakh will be deposited in the account of each poor (person)".

An employee poses with the bundles of Indian rupee notes inside a bank in Agartala, the capital of India's northeastern state of Tripura August 22, 2013. The Indian rupee fell past 65 to the dollar to a record low on Thursday, after Federal Reserve minutes hinted that the U.S. was on course to begin tapering stimulus as early as next month and as foreign investors become sellers of Indian stocks. REUTERS/Jayanta Dey (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS)

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to reply to the RTI applicant, who wishes to know the status of black money that was supposed to be brought back in the country, as promised by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during 2014 Lok Sabha election.

The direction came on the RTI application filed by Kanhaiya Lal from Jhalawar district of Rajasthan seeking information about the status of his representation with the PMO.

Chief Information Commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur noted that in his representation sent to the PMO, Mr. Lal among other information had asked: “At the time of election, it was announced that black money will be brought back to India and Rs. 15 lakh will be deposited in the account of each poor, the complainant wants to know what happened to that.”

Mr. Mathur, citing the representation pointed out that the complainant also wants to know whether 40 per cent concessions in ticket given by the Congress government to the senior citizens travelling in the rail are going to be withdrawn by the present government.

It was also observed that the complainant wants an answer from the PMO that it was announced during the election that corruption will be removed from the country and wants to know when the new law will be made for the removal of corruption from the country.

Mr. Mathur pointed out that the response of CPIO is not on record.

During the hearing via video conferencing, the complainant said that he had filed the RTI application on February 8, 2016 with the PMO but hadn't got a response. To this, the respondent (a PMO official) stated that they did not receive the RTI application, therefore, they did not reply the same.

Observing that the respondent shall send a reply to the complainant, Mr. Mathur said: “The respondent is directed to send a reply to the complainant on his RTI application within 15 days of this order.”