Welcome to NFICI


NFICI (National Federation of Information Commissions in India) is emerged out of RTI Act to strengthen the Right to Information Act, 2005. The Right to Information Act, 2005, came fully into effect on 12th October, 2005 (on the 120th day after its enactment). It is one of the most significant legislations enacted by the Parliament of India. The Act enables the establishment of an unprecedented regime of the Right to Information for the citizens of the country. It overrides the ‘Official Secrets Act’ and similar laws/rules which are now in force. It strikes at the heart of the paradigm long practiced by Government officials and public functionaries that ‘confidential is the rule and disclosure is an exception’. The Act seeks to establish that “transparency is the norm and secrecy is an exception” in the working of every public authority. It aims to ensure maximum openness and transparency in the machinery and functioning of Government at all levels. The Right to Information is expected to lead to an informed citizenry and transparency of information which are vital to the functioning of democracy. It will contain corruption and enable holding Governments and their instrumentalities accountable to the governed.

A key strength of the Act pertains to administrative and adjudicative autonomy of Information Commissions. The Central and State Commissions have identical powers and responsibilities, and exercise exactly the same authority, in respect of institutions within their respective jurisdictions. The Act clearly defines the roles, responsibility and jurisdiction of the (national and sub-national bodies), Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions. Read more...