Odisha-based activist Akhand entered the Limca Book of Records for the highest number of replies received from a single organisation on a Right to Information (RTI) application.
In less than three months from February to April in 2016, he had received 333 replies from the Department of Posts.
According to Limca Book of Records, he had received 162 replies in February, 157 in March and 14 in April, making it the highest number of such replies received from a single organisation on an RTI petition.
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Complaint committees
Mr. Akhand had filed a petition under the RTI Act, 2005 with the Department of Posts on January 22, 2016 asking whether Internal Complaint Committees (ICC) had been formed at various divisions of the department as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
According to him, similar applications were filed with the Home Ministry, Defence Ministry, Ministry of Railways, External Affairs Ministry and the Department of Women and Child. Applications were also filed with State government departments such as Higher Education, Mass Education, Home, and Health and Family Welfare.
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“I got maximum replies from the Department of Posts. Almost all public information officers had provided information,” said Mr. Akhand, who has been working on human rights using RTI as a tool for his works.