For the first time since 2014, all ministries achieve full proactive disclosure under the RTI Act

For the first time since the Right to Information (RTI) Act came into force in 2014, all 16 ministries have now published every category of information that government agencies are required to disclose on their own initiative.

Under the RTI Act, government bodies must proactively publish information relating to 13 key areas, including their allocated budgets, planned projects, planned and actual expenditures, individual salaries and allowances of employees, and the rules and procedures governing their work. This information must be made public at least once a year, or sooner, in the public interest.

Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed has repeatedly raised concerns over ministries failing to meet these obligations. As recently as last month, he noted that no ministry had fully disclosed all required information. However, he said several ministries had begun publishing the information over the past weeks.

In a post on X on Sunday, Ahid said that until recently, ministries had disclosed only 34 percent of the information required under proactive disclosure. As of Sunday, however, all ministries have now published 100 percent of the required information.

Proactive Disclosure Update:@presidencymv and all 16 Ministries are now at 100% compliance. pic.twitter.com/pKrgBQgomx

— ahid rasheed (@aahidrasheed) June 7, 2026

Ahid added that the President’s Office has also completed its proactive disclosures. He commended the work done by the ministries and the President’s Office, while noting that further effort is still needed.

He urged all agencies under the ministries to verify that their information is fully disclosed and to maintain regular updates. He also called on agencies to comply fully with the RTI Act and respond to RTI requests in a timely manner.

The problem of non‑disclosure of requested information by government agencies remains serious. The President’s Office has also been among the agencies that do not respond to RTI requests. According to statistics released by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) last year, 487 out of 712 complaints were filed because agencies failed to provide any response to information requests.

Most of these complaints were directed at the President’s Office. In some cases, ICOM itself was asked to provide information but did not do so for extended periods.

Earlier, Home Minister Ali Ihusaan had said that providing information under the RTI Act was costly. Last month, Attorney General Ahmed Usham said the RTI Act, which exists to maximise the constitutional right to information, was being “abused” in the name of access to information.

Both Ihusaan and Usham faced criticism for their remarks. The Information Commissioner responded to Usham by saying he had not observed any abuse of the RTI Act.