New Delhi, March 12 A report by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on alleged Bangladeshi infiltration and its impact on Adivasis in the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand has not been shared under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, as comments from the Registrar General of India (RGI) are still pending, the Central Information Commission (CIC) was informed.
The RTI application sought a copy of the report submitted by the NCST to the Ministry of Home Affairs on "Bangladeshi Infiltration and the status of Adivasis in the Santhal Paragana region of Jharkhand."
During the hearing, a Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) from the NCST told the bench that the report prepared by NCST member Dr Asha Lakra on demographic changes in the Santhal Pargana region had been sent to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The commission said that "since the comments from the RGI have not yet been received, the report may not be shared with the applicant at this stage."
After examining the submissions, Information Commissioner Ashutosh Chaturvedi observed that "the Respondent has provided an appropriate response as per the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005," adding that the written submission filed by the respondent was "comprehensive and self-explanatory."