File affidavit saying Covid vaccine funding data 'not available': CIC to DPIIT

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The Central Information Commission has directed the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to file an affidavit that information about government funding extended to Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers during the pandemic was "not available" with it.

The direction was issued while hearing a Right to Information (RTI) appeal filed by Mahavir Singh Sharma, who had sought details of thousands of crores of rupees released by the Union government to the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech for the production of Covid-19 vaccines in 2020 and 2021.

In its reply to the RTI application, DPIIT said the information sought was not held by its logistics division.

"With reference to your RTI application on the subject cited above, the requisite information sought is not available with the logistics division, DPIIT. Therefore, the requisite information may be treated as 'NIL'," the department had stated. The First Appellate Authority later upheld this response.

In its order, Information Commissioner Khushwant Singh Sethi noted that the logistics division had clearly informed the applicant about the non-availability of the information.

However, the commission directed the public authority to formally affirm its stand through an affidavit.

"The respondent is directed to file an affidavit to the commission with a categorical statement that the sought information in the RTI application dated October 6, 2023, is not available with their public authority," the CIC said.

While observing that the reply given by DPIIT was appropriate, the commission said the affidavit was necessary to place the department's claim of non-availability of information on record before disposing of the appeal.

It directed DPIIT to submit the affidavit within 15 days, both by post and by uploading it on the CIC's compliance portal, with a copy also to be served to the appellant (Sharma).

In his RTI application, Sharma had sought the information, "The amount of Rs 4,500 crore, which was released by the Government of India without bank guarantee to Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech during Covid, has been returned to the Government of India along with interest, or both institutes delivered the vaccine doses in lieu of the amount taken from the government." He also asked for the information showing that the "Government of India had received all the doses of the vaccines taken from Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to fight Covid-19 Pandemic," details of vaccines sent abroad "with the permission of the Government of India," and "the complete details of the amount received by both the institutes in exchange for the vaccines from abroad." The applicant further asked whether "all Indian citizens were administered Covishield and Covaxin vaccines or some Indian citizens were left out," the "total amount spent by the Government of India on the purchase of Covaxin and Covishield," and whether any other Covid-19 vaccines were purchased for Indian citizens.

During the hearing, DPIIT officials maintained that the information was not held by their division and that the RTI application had originally been filed with another department (Department of Biotechnology) before being transferred to them. PTI MHS ABS MHS NSD NSD