The Karnataka Information Commission is committed to ensuring that citizens receive information in a transparent and time-bound manner under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Information Commissioner B. Venkata Singh said.

Addressing a press conference in Hosapete on Saturday after inaugurating an RTI awareness workshop and interaction programme for officials and Public Information Officers, Mr. Singh said such workshops were being organised to clear doubts and misconceptions among government officials and facilitate easier access to information for citizens. The programme was organised with the support of the district administration.

Sharing details of the commission’s performance, Mr. Singh said the disposal of RTI appeals and complaints had accelerated significantly after the appointment of new commissioners. He said that when six commissioners assumed office in February 2025, around 56,000 cases were pending before the commission. Within a year, nearly 40,000 cases had been disposed of, marking a significant achievement.

The Commissioner said a special drive launched between March and December to clear old cases pending from 2010 to 2020 had yielded encouraging results, with nearly 75% of such cases being disposed of. Hearings are now being taken up for cases filed during 2023 and 2024, he added.

Referring to the Kalaburagi Bench, which has jurisdiction over Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Vijayanagara, Yadgir, Koppal and Bidar districts, Mr. Singh said there were 6,200 pending cases when he assumed charge. Since commencing hearings on November 24, 2025, the Bench has taken up 3,537 cases during 101 sitting days and disposed of 1,548 cases, enabling applicants to obtain the information sought.

Mr. Singh said the commission was taking a strict view of officials who failed to furnish information within the stipulated period. During the last 101 days, penalties amounting to ₹4.33 lakh had been imposed on erring officials. In addition, compensation totalling ₹38,000 had been awarded to applicants who suffered loss of time and money due to delays in receiving information.

Providing district-wise figures of pending cases under the Kalaburagi Bench, he said Raichur accounted for 2,337 pending applications, followed by Kalaburagi (1,318), Ballari (835), Koppal (650), Vijayanagara (611), Yadgir (580) and Bidar (400).

Mr. Singh said that the RTI awareness workshop had already been conducted in Bidar, Ballari, Koppal and Kalaburagi districts, with Vijayanagara becoming the fifth district to host the programme. Similar workshops would soon be organised in Raichur and Yadgir districts to strengthen the effective implementation of the RTI Act, he added.

State Information Commissioners K. Badruddin and Harish Kumar of the Bengaluru Bench, and Additional Deputy Commissioner P.N. Lokesh were present at the press conference.