RTI 3.0 — the pitch
The right to know, without the runaround.
A working rebuild of rtionline.gov.in: ask in your own words, find what is already public, and file — once — in your own language.
- Ask
- →
- Find
- →
- File
Unofficial prototype · not a government service · English only
01 · Who files
Built for the people who file again and again.
Journalists, activists, researchers, watchdogs, lawyers — and citizens who become repeat filers once the first request works.
Journalists & newsrooms
Story research and investigation data.
Campaigners & NGOs
Evidence for campaigns and services.
Researchers
Data for papers and policy.
Curious citizens
Schools, councils, personal cases.
Local watchdogs
Monitoring councils and services.
Professionals
Lawyers and due diligence.
Every repeated field and forgotten number taxes them most. This redesign removes repetition.
02 · The problem
Today the request fails before anyone reads it.
A reporter filing on MGNREGA wages in Gaya knows what she wants. The portal still defeats her at every step.
1
Files blind
2,916 unsorted bodies. No Central/State label.
2
Pays ₹10
Fee taken before anything is checked.
3
Waits weeks
Wrong subject. No refund.
4
Starts over
Retypes everything. Status lives in an email.
The Act promises 30 days. The portal spends them on failures the citizen could have avoided.
03 · Bet one — a chat that researches
Find the answer before you file for it.
MGNREGA wages pending in Gaya as on 31 March 2026?
Central subject — Rural Development
1 published record may answer this
Nothing filed. Nothing charged.
Answers from published stock
Past replies and guidelines in plain language — seconds, not 30 days.
Routes or stops before payment
Right body with reasons — or a State-subject stop with where to go.
Drafts the letter with you
Your words, shaped into records a CPIO can hand over.
Every question answered here is one fewer file in a CPIO's queue.
04 · Bet two — one profile
Type once. The platform remembers.
Reply arrived — read it, appeal if incomplete.
30 days, no reply — deemed refusal, appeal free.
Name · address · BPL status saved once, reused everywhere.
Details saved once
Reused across every filing. Nothing retyped.
One history, not five screens
Requests, appeals, receipts and deadlines in a single list.
Attention comes to you
Replies, silent deadlines, closing windows — front and centre.
Appeals arrive pre-drafted
Ground, dates and reference filled in. Edit and file — free.
05 · Bet three — language
File in the language you think in.
languages, each in its own script
spoken by about 94% of India
Speak instead of typing
Voice filing through the chat — for low literacy and small screens.
No wrong door
2,581 searchable bodies, each labelled Central or State.
Today: two languages — and a request box that rejects Indian scripts.
06 · Trust, both sides
Citizens prove once. Officers answer faster.
One citizenship check
Only citizens may file (section 3). One-time Aadhaar verification; the number is never stored. The live portal never checks.
Officers get the same memory
A linked archive surfaces already-furnished answers when a similar request arrives — faster, consistent replies.
Aadhaar handoff simulated here; officer assist is a design proposal — no officer module ships.
07 · Why government wins
Less load, less manual work. Same law.
Every citizen fix removes a government cost.
Fewer RTIs to answer
Chat answers from published stock → the request is never filed.
Zero reconciliation queue
24–48 hour wait plus helpdesk emails → payment and registration in one atomic step.
Faster CPIO replies
Same question answered twice → the earlier reply is surfaced for reuse.
Fewer returns
₹10 taken, returned weeks later → State-subject stop before payment.
Fee, timelines and the CPIO/FAA/CIC ladder are statutory — unchanged. No new law required.
08 · Production and scale
Build with actual production and scale in mind.
What each layer maps to at national scale — NIC hosting, STQC clearance, and no licence costs.
Frontend framework
Next.js
Server-side rendering — no heavy JavaScript on budget phones, rapid first paint, fully compatible with server-side localisation.
Styling & accessibility
Tailwind CSS + WAI-ARIA
Tiny CSS bundles (<15 KB gzip) and a straight path through mandatory GIGW 3.0 / WCAG 2.1 AA contrast and screen-reader standards.
Backend API layer
Java (Spring Boot)
The gold standard for NIC MeghRaj hosting — simpler STQC clearance and third-party vendor handover.
Database
PostgreSQL
Mature open-source relational database for filing lifecycles, state-department hierarchies and fee records — no expensive proprietary licences.
09 · The ask
Three fixes. No new law.
Make published answers findable. Remember the citizen. Speak their language.
Created as a submission for the ‘Build What Moves India’ hackathon — designed, created and built by Puneet Vishnawat.