CERT-in may be exempted form giving information under RTI Act, says centre

Subject :Polity

Section: Msc

Concept :

The Central Government recently informed that the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) may soon be exempt from responding to queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The Department of Personnel and Training has reviewed a proposal from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to include CERT-in in the Second Schedule to the RTI Act, which deals with exempted organisations like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Border Security Force.

Section 24 and Second Schedule of RTI

Section 24 of the RTI Act 2005:
It says that this law is not applicable to the intelligence and security organisations specified in the Second Schedule.
However, the only exception these organisations have is for information on allegations of corruption and human rights violations.
Second Schedule:
It includes intelligence and security agencies under its ambit.
Some of them are (i) Intelligence Bureau (IB), (ii) Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of the Cabinet Secretariat (iii) Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), (iv) Special Frontier Force (SFF), (v) Border Security Force (BSF) (vi) National Security Guards (NSG) and (Vii) Assam Rifles.
Section 8 of the RTI:
It deals with exemption from disclosure of information under this legislation.
It says that there shall be no obligation on Government to provide any citizen information, disclosure which will affect (i) India’s sovereignty and integrity, (ii) security, (iii) strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state and (iv) relations with foreign States or (v) will lead to incitement of an offence.

About Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in):

CERT-In is a functional organisation of the Ministry of Information & Electronics Technology.
It is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.
Objective: Securing Indian cyberspace.
CERT-In has been operational since January 2004.
Functions:
- Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents;
- Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents;
- Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents;
- Coordination of cyber incident response activities;
- Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents.