The Indian Railways has tightened norms for Zonal Railways furnishing information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act after a controversy over cost of selfie points installed at railway stations. Under the new rules, all replies must be cleared by General Managers of Zonal Railways or Divisional Railway Managers.
The Hindu reported on December 27, 2023 that each permanent selfie booth with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image cost ₹6.25 lakh while each temporary selfie booth cost ₹1.25 lakh, which is the approved cost by the Central Bureau of Communication under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The information was furnished by the Central Railway in response to an RTI query.
In an advisory dated December 28, 2023, sent to General Managers of all Zonal Railways, the Railway Board said it had been observed of late that the “quality of replies to RTI applications handled by Zonal Railways and other field units had deteriorated”.
