Raman Sharma
JAMMU: The J&K Online RTI Portal has received an impressive 65,243 RTI applications and 9,033 first appeals in about 19 months since its launch, reflecting growing public confidence and increasing use of the digital transparency mechanism by citizens across Jammu and Kashmir.
This data has been revealed by the Jammu and Kashmir General Administration Department (GAD) in response to an RTI application filed by Jammu based RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma.
According to the official RTI reply of the GAD, issued on 27/08/2026, the J&K RTI Online Portal, rtionline.jk.gov.in, was formally launched for citizens on 10/January/2025. From its launch till 26/August/2026, a total of 65,243 RTI applications were received through the portal. During the same period, citizens also filed 9,033 first appeals, equivalent to approximately 13.8 per cent of the total RTI applications.
Earlier in an RTI application dated 27/July/2026, Sharma had sought detailed information regarding the functioning and growth of the online portal, including its launch date, total RTI applications and appeals received, number of public authorities onboarded and the procedure adopted for inclusion of new public authorities, CPIOs and First Appellate Authorities on the online RTI Portal.
The official response of the GAD though dodged the clear reply related to procedure and policy for onboarding new Public Authorities/PIOs and Appellate Authorities on the online Portal and instead stated that the procedure for onboarding Public Authorities, CPIOs and First Appellate Authorities is in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Regarding information on the number of authorities onboarded at the time of launch and those subsequently added, the GAD transferred the relevant queries to the National Informatics Centre (NIC), J&K, under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act for providing the requisite information.
The substantial number of applications received within a relatively short period highlights the increasing reliance of citizens on the online RTI system. Responding to the RTI reply, the activist demanded the inclusion of more public authorities on the RTI portal, including offices at the district, tehsil and block levels. Sharma cited the example of the Education Department and stated that while PIOs at the Directorate level of both Kashmir and Jammu divisions are available on the RTI portal, the offices of Chief Education Officers are unavailable. He added that the same is the case with district offices of the Police Department and Rural Development Department.
It is pertinent to mention here that the J&K Online portal was launched by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in 2025 whereas the Central Online Portal had been working since 2013.
Sharma further emphasised that the GAD must ensure a clear, transparent policy for onboarding new authorities instead of giving vague replies or transferring queries to NIC. He also appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene and expedite the process, especially for grassroots-level offices, so that the common man of J&K can truly benefit from the transparency promised by the RTI Act.
