Whispers Forum

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on your appointment as CEO and Managing Director of Union Bank, a historic and respected institution — the third-largest public sector bank in India. Union Bank of India has a legacy graced by none other than Mahatma Gandhi ji, who inaugurated the bank in 1919. His message — one of trust, ethics, and service to the people — continues to inspire the bank’s mission even after more than 111 years. Truly, it stands today as a living symbol of the motto: Good people to bank with. As a committed customer of Union Bank since 1984, banking from the Sayajigunj Branch in Vadodara, I have always experienced courteous service and an admirable human touch from your staff. The values of dignity, patience, and personal care are deeply embedded in the culture of the bank, and this gives customers like me great pride. At the same time, in this digital era, we look forward to your leadership in accelerating decision-making processes and transforming legacy systems. We remain confident that under your stewardship, Union Bank of India will continue to uphold its great tradition while also becoming more agile, innovative, and responsive to customers’ evolving needs. Wishing you great success in this new role and looking forward to a new era of excellence at Union Bank of India.
Nitin Varia
Loyal customer, Vadodara

The appellant asked for the certified Xerox copies of a particular office Tender. The PIO replied that the information sought is huge, and asked to visit the office to verify in person after advance intimation. Before the CIC, the respondent submitted that since the information requested is voluminous, and considering that the M-Book is a critical accounting record that must be maintained with care, the appellant was requested to visit the office during working hours to review the information. However, the appellant has not visited the office to inspect the information as of today. The CIC observed that an appropriate reply has been provided by the PIO and no further action lies.
Comments
Copy of a tender is usually published in Newspaper or website and hence, a soft copy should be available with the office. It is not understood how it can be termed as voluminous and in place of a copy of the tender, an inspection is being provided.
Citation: Shri D DHANANJAYA v. Archaeological Survey of India Archaeological Survey of India, CIC/ALSOI/A/2024/108144; Date of Decision: 07.05.2025
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

India has become the world's fourth-largest economy, which is a big achievement. However, this has not affected people much. There are several reasons for this. There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. While industries like IT and finance help the economy grow, they do not create enough jobs for most people. Other factors, like a large number of unorganized workers and not enough social support, also make many people feel unhappy. Additionally, concerns about corruption add to this sense of unhappiness.
Aditya Malviya

The appellant claimed double deduction of income tax in which only one deducted amount has been refunded. He submitted to the CIC that neither complete desired information has been provided to him nor the deduction of taxes in Form 16A/ 26AS statement for the FY 2022-23 was reflected by the respondent (Railways) till date. He further contended that the PIOs never took the pain to present the case before the CIC on its own rather they sent their representatives to plead cases which is not in the spirit of the RTI Act. On query from the CIC, the respondent admitted the error shown in the Form 16 A by not showing the deducted tax amount in the appellant’s 26 AS statement of F.Y. 2022-23. She stated that their Chartered Accountant has been asked to reconcile the statement, and volunteered to redress the grievance of the appellant thereafter. The CIC concluded that the reply is vague and evasive. The PIO is expected to have applied his mind and should have facilitated relevant information as sought by the Appellant by invoking Section 5(4) or Section 6(3) of the RTI Act from the concerned department in addressing the issue raised by the appellant. Instead of doing the needful, the PIO washed their hands off by keeping the complaint of the appellant pending till date which ought to have been redressed by reconciling the account at the stage of PIO reply itself. The CIC directed to revisit the contents of the RTI Application to provide relevant information, free of cost, within four weeks. Under Section 19(8) of the RTI Act, the CIC directed to investigate this matter through Senior Divisional Officer other than Finance and Accounts. In doing so, the Appellant be associated in the investigation, and if lapse is found in the matter, the Respondent Public Authority is to fix responsibility on delinquents. Report of the inquiry along with supporting documents shall be shared with the appellant, free of cost, and also uploaded on the link provided in the Commission’s hearing notice within 8 weeks from the date of receipt of this order.
Comments
Deduction of income tax is done from the seeded PAN card number of the assessee with an auto fetched systems where there is little chances of error. Perhaps, the mistake caused coupled with vague reply and absence of any remedial action led to such a strong order.
Citation: Ashok Kumar Sharma v. Office of the Divisional Railway Manager, North Western Railway, CIC/NWRLY/A/2024/100624; Date of Decision: 30.04.2025
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com