• Dr S K Pulist

The Right to Information Act in India was enacted on June 15, 2005 and came into effect on October 12, 2005 replacing the Freedom of Information Act 2002. The Act heralded a new beginning by giving citizens an opportunity to participate in the democratic processes leading to transparent and open governance. In Indian context, the Right to Information (RTI) Act is being seen as a grievance redressal tool rather than an information retrieval tool. The Act has been used by different citizens and non-governmental organisations to unearth cases of financial misappropriation and corruption at different occasions. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a premier institution of distance higher education in India funded by the federal government. Consequently, IGNOU comes under the purview of the Act. The awareness and perception of the citizens towards the different provisions of the Right to Information Act play important role in making judicious use of the Act. The current study tries to study the perception of IGNOU students towards the Right to Information Act 2005. The analysis of data revealed that IGNOU students considered the Act as an important tool in seeking information from government departments. The respondents had a fare idea of the provisions of the RTI Act. They perceived that the users make judicious use of the Act. It was perceived that the users sought only the required information from the public authority except a few who misused the Act. The respondents agreed that the practice of multiple applications from the same applicant and multiple hearings on the same subject lead to wastage of precious time of government machinery. Lack of infrastructure, information management system and training of the public information officers were considered as few of the constraints in effective implementation of the Act. The study highlighted the need of improving the support services by IGNOU for its students. Opening up of alternative channels for information dissemination was also considered important in study.

Perception, Right to Information Act, ODL Students, IGNOU, INDIA

"PERCEPTION OF ODL STUDENTS TOWARDS RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT 2005: A CASE OF IGNOU, INDIA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 9, page no.187-193, September-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRA006261.pdf

"PERCEPTION OF ODL STUDENTS TOWARDS RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT 2005: A CASE OF IGNOU, INDIA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 9, page no. pp187-193, September-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRA006261.pdf