Since the enactment of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2014, all 16 government ministries have now fully published every category of information they are required to disclose proactively, marking a first in history.

Under the RTI Act, government agencies are mandated to proactively release information across 13 key areas, including their budgets, planned projects, expenditures (both planned and actual), employee salaries and allowances, and the rules and procedures that govern their operations. This information must be made available to the public at least annually or sooner if necessary for public interest.

Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed has consistently expressed concerns over ministries failing to fulfill these obligations. Just last month, he noted that no ministry had fully disclosed all the required information. However, he also mentioned that several ministries had started publishing this information in recent weeks.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Ahid stated that until recently, ministries had only disclosed 34% of the required information under proactive disclosure. As of Sunday, all ministries have now published 100% of the mandated information. Additionally, he reported that the President’s Office has also completed its proactive disclosures. While he praised the efforts of the ministries and the President’s Office, he emphasized that more work remains to be done.

He urged all government agencies to verify that their information is completely disclosed and to keep their data regularly updated. He also called on agencies to fully comply with the RTI Act and to respond promptly to RTI requests.

The issue of government agencies failing to respond to RTI requests remains a significant concern. The President’s Office has been among the agencies that do not respond to such requests. According to data released last year by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM), 487 out of 712 complaints were filed because agencies failed to provide any response to information requests.

Most of these complaints targeted the President’s Office. In some cases, ICOM itself was asked to provide information but failed to do so for extended periods. 

Earlier, Home Minister Ali Ihusaan claimed that providing information under the RTI Act was costly. Last month, Attorney General Ahmed Usham stated that the RTI Act, designed to maximize the constitutional right to information, was being “abused” under the pretext of accessing information.

Both Ihusaan and Usham faced criticism for these remarks. In response, the Information Commissioner stated that he had not observed any abuse of the RTI Act.