CIC directs Food Ministry to disclose inter-ministerial committee records on Bharat Atta and Rice
The Central Information Commission has directed the Department of Food and Public Distribution to provide agendas and minutes of the Inter-Ministerial Committee concerning the Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice schemes, if the matter has been decided and completed. The department must redact third-party information and clarify if the decision remains pending.
On August 31, the CPIO had replied that the information requested was not related to the Policy-I Section of the department, thus deemed as nil. During a hearing, the department's representative noted that the earlier reply was provided by the then CPIO. The Commission then questioned if the decision on the information sought was final and complete.
The respondent confirmed that the matter was concluded but requested more time to obtain confirmation from the section responsible for the information. The Commission observed that an email from the department on the same day didn't offer a definitive position on whether the decision was finalized or not. Consequently, the CIC directed the Department of Food and Public Distribution to provide the requested information - the agendas and minutes of the Inter-Ministerial Committee overseeing the Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice schemes - if the decision has been made and the matter is complete.
The department must redact any third-party information, such as officer names and identities, under Section 10 of the RTI Act. If the decision hasn't been made yet, the Commission instructed the department to state this in their revised response.
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