The Right to Information Act, 2005 (22 of 2005) has been enacted by the Parliament and has come into force from June 15, 2005. This Act provides for Right to Information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority. The following officers are designated as Appellate Authority and Public Information Officer : Director Co-operative Academy of Professional Education, CAPE Co-Bank Towers, 1st Floor, Vikas Bhavan P.O. Thiruvananthapuram - 695 003 Administrative Officer Co-operative Academy of Professional Education, CAPE Co-Bank Towers, 1st Floor, Vikas Bhavan P.O. Thiruvananthapuram - 695 003 The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government, contain corrution, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense. An informed citizenry will be better equipped to keep necessary vigil on the instruments of governance and make the government more accountable to the governed. The Act has created a practical regime through which the citizens of the country may have access to information under the control of public authorities. Information is any material in any form. It includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logboks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form. It also includes information relating to any private body which can be accessed by the public authority under any law for the time being in force. A citizen has to seek such information from a public authority which is held by the public authority which is held by the public authority or which is held under its control. This right includes inspection of work, documents and records, taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records, taking certified samples of material held by the public authority or held under the control of the public authority. The public authority under the RTI Act is not supposed to create information or to interpret information or to solve the problems raised by the applicants or to furnish replies to hypothetical questions. Only such information ca be had under the Act which already exists with the public authority. A citizen has a right to obtain information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through print-outs provided information is already stored in a computer or in any other device from which the information may be transferred to diskettes etc. The information to the applicant shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought. However,if the supply of information sought in a particular form would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or may cause harm to the safety or preservation of the records, supply of information in that form may be denied. The Act gives the right to information only to citizens of India. It does not make provision for giving information to Corporations, Associations, Companies etc. which are legal entities/persons, but not citizens. However, if an application is made b an employee or office-bearer of any Corporation, Association, Company, NGO etc. who is also a citizen of India, information shall be supplied to him/her, provided the applicant gives his/her full name. In such cases, it will be presumed that a citizen has sought information at the address of the Corporation etc.