New Delhi, Dec 3 (ANI): The Union Government informed the parliament on Thursday that it has sanctioned 116 posts for the Central Information Commission.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions, Prithviraj Singh Chavan, said the CIC has constituted a committee to assess its staff requirement and the government shall examine the report of the committee as and when received.

Chavan also informed the House that the Commission has been allotted a plot of land in Delhi for construction of a building of the Commission.

The recently held fourth anniversary convention of the Central and State Information Commissioners, has highlighted the problems faced by the CIC and its State units in terms of sparse office premises, lack of basic office infrastructure and manpower including low budgetary provisions.

“Staffing and providing accommodation and other facilities to the State Information Commissions are the responsibility of the State Governments, however, the Central Government is providing some assistance to the State Information Commission under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme,” he said.

The Central scheme also include programmes for capacity building on RTI through the State level Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Chavan said while replying another question.

“A sum of Rs.4.90 crore has been released to the State Information Commissions during 2008-09 and 2009-10 under the scheme and a sum of Rs.3.27 crore to the Administrative Training Institute during these periods,” Chavan said.

He also informed the House that Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Uttarakhand states had sought Central assistance for implementation of the RTI Act, 2005.

The Parliament has, by law, cast an obligation on the State Governments to implement the Act. The State Governments are required to meet the statutory obligation out of their own funds, Chavan added. (ANI)