RTI for PMAY Housing in Goa — How to File

This page is the Goa-specific companion to the parent guide at RTI for PMAY (housing) — full guide. The parent has the universal template, decision tree and case law. What follows is only what is different, useful, or unique about filing a PMAY RTI inside Goa — the offices, the fee, the live online portal, and the local escalation ladder.

Goa is a small two-district state — North Goa (headquarters Panaji) and South Goa (headquarters Margao) — but it runs its own RTI machinery and its own housing scheme implementation. That means three things change versus a generic guide:

1. Goa has a working state RTI online portal at rtionline.goa.gov.in, so postal filing is optional, not the only route.
2. The second-appellative body is the Goa State Information Commission (GSIC), not the Central Information Commission.
3. PMAY in Goa flows through state nodal offices — the Housing Department and Goa Housing Board at the state level, the Block Development Officers for PMAY-G (rural), and the municipal councils / Corporation of the City of Panaji for PMAY-U (urban).

If you have already read the parent guide at RTI for PMAY (housing), jump straight to the office-finder or the sample application below.

Goa does not have one single PMAY PIO. The correct public authority depends on whether your application or query is rural or urban, and whether you are asking about your own file or about scheme-level data.

If you are not sure which taluka or municipal body covers you, Goa has twelve talukas (Bardez, Tiswadi, Pernem, Bicholim, Sattari, Ponda in the north; Salcete, Mormugao, Quepem, Sanguem, Dharbandora, Canacona in the south) and fourteen urban local bodies including the Corporation of the City of Panaji and the councils of Margao, Mormugao, Mapusa, Ponda and others. The BDO or the Chief Officer of your municipality is the safe first port of call; if they are the wrong office, they are legally required to transfer your application under §6(3) to the correct PIO within five days and tell you.

For the universal decision tree on identifying a PIO, see the parent PMAY RTI guide; for the state list of public authorities, see all RTI schemes for Goa.

The Goa RTI application fee is Rs. 10 per request. You have three payment routes:

Beyond the application fee, the RTI Act and Goa rules allow a PIO to charge for photocopying (Rs. 2 per page), printed material at cost, a floppy/CD (Rs. 50), and inspection of records (free for the first hour, Rs. 5 for each subsequent 15 minutes). These reproduction charges are standard across Indian states; if the PIO demands a large sum up front, ask for the written fee schedule before paying. The full state-by-state fee table is at RTI fees by state.

For the legal basis of the fee, see the RTI Act 2005 (§27 lets the state make fee rules) and the GSIC Appeal Procedure Rules 2006. The fee amounts above are the standard Goa RTI Rules figures; if you want to confirm the exact reproduction charges before filing, the safest live source is the payment page on the Goa portal itself at rtionline.goa.gov.in.

Yes — and this is the biggest correction you will find on this page. Goa is not postal-only. The state runs a fully functional online RTI portal at rtionline.goa.gov.in that accepts three things electronically:

1. A fresh RTI application (Submit Request) to any Goa state public authority;
2. A First Appeal under §19(1); and
3. A Second Appeal under §19(3) to the Goa State Information Commission.

Payment runs through the portal's eChallan gateway — net banking, Master/Visa debit or credit cards, and UPI are all accepted. After submission you get a registration number that lets you track status online.

Three warnings the portal itself flags:

1. File only for Goa state government departments and public authorities. The central DoPT portal at rtionline.gov.in is for central-government authorities; if you file a Goa matter there (or a central matter on the Goa portal), the application will be returned without a refund.
2. Read the instructions on the portal carefully before paying — the payment is not reversible.
3. For a PMAY query that involves a central nodal agency (for example, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs or a Central Nodal Agency for CLSS subsidy), you would file through rtionline.gov.in instead, because those are central public authorities.

Want to draft the wording first? The AI RTI Drafter generates the five questions for you, and the Awaaz RTI helper can walk a first-time filer through the Goa portal step by step. The full directory of state portals is at State portals directory.

Under §7(1) of the RTI Act 2005, the PIO must reply to you within 30 days of receiving the application. Three rules that applicants miss:

1. The clock starts on the date the public authority receives your application, not the date you post it. If you file by Speed Post, keep the India Post tracking printout — it is your proof of the date of delivery.
2. Where the information concerns the life or liberty of a person, the reply is due within 48 hours (§7(1), proviso). This is rare for PMAY, but an eviction or demolition-linked query could qualify.
3. If the PIO transfers your application to another office under §6(3), the 30 days runs from the date of transfer, and the transfer itself must happen within five days.

The RTI Timeline Calculator works out these dates for you from the day you filed, and the PIO Reply Checker flags a reply that is late, partial, or wrongly denied.

The second-appellative body for Goa is the Goa State Information Commission (GSIC). These details are taken from the Commission's own site and the Government of Goa department page (both verified live in July 2026):

The Commission was constituted by the Government of Goa under §15 of the RTI Act by Notification No. 10/02/2006/LA dated 02 March 2006 (published in the Official Gazette, Series I No. 14), consisting of a State Chief Information Commissioner and one State Information Commissioner. The appeal procedure is governed by the GSIC Appeal Procedure Rules 2006, notified vide No. D/INF/RTI/2005/4531.

How escalation actually works for a Goa PMAY matter:

1. First Appeal (§19(1)): File within 30 days of the PIO's silence or unsatisfactory reply. Address it to the First Appellate Authority — the officer one rung above the PIO in the same public authority (for a BDO, typically the Director of Panchayats / Deputy Collector; for a municipality, the Chief Officer; for the Housing Department, the Secretary). On the Goa portal, the same registration number links your appeal to the original application.
2. Second Appeal (§19(3)): If the FAA also fails, file within 90 days with the GSIC. You can do this through rtionline.goa.gov.in, by post to the Panaji address above, or by hand. The GSIC hears matters in benches at Panaji.
3. Parallel pressure: While the appeal ripens, a CPGRAMS grievance at pgportal.gov.in and the state grievance channel on the Goa schemes page keep the file warm without disturbing the legal timeline.

For the formats, see the First Appeal Drafter and the parent guide's appeal section.

The RTI Act treats PMAY records as disclosable public information unless a specific exemption in §8 or §9 applies. For a Goa applicant, these are the categories that usually are available:

You cannot get someone else's bank account number, the personal contact details of other beneficiaries beyond what the scheme itself publishes, or information covered by an ongoing investigation that genuinely attracts §8(1)(g) or §8(1)(h). A flat refusal that cites §8 without naming the sub-clause and explaining how it applies is defective and can be challenged at the First Appeal. For a full read of the exemptions, see the RTI Act 2005 and the case discussion at RTI cases.

Keep the bundle thin but complete. A Goa PIO will process faster if you attach exactly these:

1. One identity proof — Aadhaar, voter ID, Goa residence certificate, or driving licence.
2. The PMAY reference — your PMAY-ID (for PMAY-U, the 12-digit application number from pmaymis.gov.in; for PMAY-G, the registration number from pmayg.dord.gov.in), or the BDO/municipality receipt if you registered offline.
3. The fee — paid via the portal's eChallan (print the receipt), or an IPO / court-fee stamp for postal filing.
4. BPL certificate if you are claiming the fee waiver.
5. A self-addressed stamped envelope only if you are filing by post and want the reply by post.

You do not need to attach your income proof, caste certificate, bank passbook or property papers unless the information you are asking for requires them (for example, asking why your income-based eligibility was rejected — then the income record is relevant). Attaching unrelated documents only slows the file.

The following composite is built from the recurring pattern of PMAY RTI matters. The figures are illustrative and not from a single named case; treat them as a map of how a Goa filing usually moves, not as a statistic.

A salaried applicant from a village in Bardez taluka (North Goa) registered for PMAY-G on pmayg.dord.gov.in in 2023 and was waitlisted. Two years on, the online status still read “Under Process”. She filed an RTI to the Block Development Officer, Bardez, asking five pointed questions: the current stage of her file, the inspection report on her plot, the sanction list for her gram panchayat for the last two batches, the funds received and spent against those batches, and the reason no inspection had been scheduled. She paid the Rs. 10 fee through the rtionline.goa.gov.in eChallan, kept the registration number, and noted the date.

The BDO's office did not reply within 30 days. On Day 35 she filed a First Appeal under §19(1) to the Deputy Director of Panchayats (the FAA one rung above the BDO) through the same portal. The FAA ordered the PIO to release the inspection report and the sanction list within 15 days. The PIO partly complied. For the missing funds data, she filed a Second Appeal under §19(3) to the Goa State Information Commission at Panaji within the 90-day window. The Commission issued notice, and the records were furnished before the hearing.

The lesson is structural: in Goa, the online portal + a precise five-question application + a punctual First Appeal is usually enough to move a stuck PMAY file. The Commission's address in Panaji is close enough for most applicants to attend a hearing in person, which materially speeds compliance.

Copy this into a plain-text application, fill the bracketed fields, and submit through rtionline.goa.gov.in (preferred) or by Speed Post to the BDO / municipal office. For a customised draft in seconds, paste your facts into the AI RTI Drafter.

To
The Public Information Officer
[Block Development Officer, <Taluka> / Chief Officer, <Municipal Council> /
 PIO, Housing Department, Government of Goa]
<Address, Goa - <PIN>>

Subject: Application under section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005
regarding my PMAY (housing) application.

Sir/Madam,

I, <Your full name>, a citizen of India, hereby seek the following
information under section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, relating to my
PMAY registration. The required fee of Rs. 10 is paid through the
eChallan gateway of rtionline.goa.gov.in (receipt no. <XXXX>, dated
<DD/MM/YYYY>) / by Indian Postal Order no. <XXXX>.

My particulars:
- Name:
- Address:
- PMAY reference (PMAY-U application no. / PMAY-G registration no.):
- Gram panchayat / municipal ward:
- Mobile:

Information sought:
1. The current status and stage of my PMAY application no. <XXXX>, and
   the date on which it reached that stage.
2. A certified copy of the inspection report, if any, prepared in
   respect of my plot/house, with the name and designation of the
   inspecting officer.
3. The list of beneficiaries sanctioned under PMAY in my gram panchayat
   / ward for the batches of <year>, with the date of sanction for each.
4. The total central and state funds received by this office for PMAY
   in the last two financial years, and the amount utilised, with the
   utilisation certificate number.
5. The reasons, if any, for delay in scheduling an inspection or
   sanctioning my application, with a copy of the relevant noting on
   the file.

I request that the information be furnished in printed / electronic
form, and that any reproduction charges be intimated to me in advance
under section 7(3)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Place: 
Date: 
                              (Signature)
                              <Your name>

Both are valid. rtionline.goa.gov.in is the faster route and gives you a registration number immediately, but a paper application sent by Speed Post to the BDO or municipal office, with an Rs. 10 IPO, is equally legal under §6(1). Keep the Speed Post receipt — it is your proof of the date of delivery and the start of the 30-day clock.

For PMAY-G (rural), the Block Development Officer of your taluka is the PIO, even if the nearest town is municipal. For PMAY-U, the municipal council or the Corporation of the City of Panaji is the PIO. If you file at the wrong office, that PIO must transfer the application to the correct one under §6(3) within five days and inform you — so filing is never wasted.

For the application itself, yes. If the PIO has to photocopy a long beneficiary register or burn a CD, reproduction charges apply — Rs. 2 per page for photocopies, Rs. 50 for a CD, free inspection for the first hour and Rs. 5 per fifteen minutes after that. The PIO must tell you the bill under §7(3)(a) before extracting the amount.

No. BPL applicants are exempt from the Rs. 10 application fee on producing a valid BPL certificate. This is a statutory exemption, not a discretion; cite it on the application and attach a self-attested copy of the certificate.

Yes. Beneficiary lists of a public housing scheme are themselves meant to be proactively disclosed under §4(1)(b) of the Act. A PIO who refuses by citing the “personal information” exemption in §8(1)(j) is usually wrong, because PMAY beneficiaries are the beneficiaries of a public subsidy, not private individuals whose privacy the Act protects.

A valid §8 rejection must (a) name the specific sub-clause of §8, (b) explain how it applies to your request, and © tell you that you have a right to appeal. A bald “denied under section 8” is defective — appeal it. The First Appeal is where most bad rejections collapse. See the Act for the exact text of each exemption.

If you have had no reply by day 30, the First Appeal right opens on day 31. You then have 30 days to file it, i.e. by day 60. If the PIO replied but you are dissatisfied, the 30 days run from the date of that reply. The RTI Timeline Calculator gives you the exact dates.

To the Goa State Information Commission, Kamat Towers, Patto Plaza, Patto Centre, Panaji - 403001 — by hand, by Speed Post, or through rtionline.goa.gov.in. File under §19(3) within 90 days of the FAA's order or the date by which the FAA should have acted. The Commission's contact details and bench are on its site at https://gsic.goa.gov.in/.

Yes. The Goa portal at rtionline.goa.gov.in accepts second appeals in addition to applications and first appeals. You can also file by post to the Panaji address; both are valid. Keep a copy and the dispatch proof either way.

It helps as parallel pressure but it does not substitute for the appeal. A CPGRAMS complaint at pgportal.gov.in is a grievance, not an RTI remedy; the statutory 30/45/90-day clock under the RTI Act runs independently. File both if the matter is urgent, but never let the grievance make you miss the appeal deadline.

Yes — the Goa Online portal at goaonline.gov.in hosts state services and a CM Helpline track, and the Housing Department, Government of Goa, accepts grievances at the Secretariat. These are administrative channels; pair them with the RTI route for the strongest result.

CLSS (the credit-linked subsidy scheme) is a central component run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs through Central Nodal Agencies and banks. For a CLSS query, file through the central portal at rtionline.gov.in, addressed to the bank or CNA that processed your loan, with a copy marked to MoHUA. Track subsidy status on the CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP) at pmaymis.gov.in. Do not file a CLSS matter on the Goa state portal — it will be returned without refund.

Yes. Section 2(j) of the Act gives you a right to inspect works, documents and records. Inspection of the PMAY beneficiary register is free for the first hour and Rs. 5 for each subsequent fifteen minutes. Ask the PIO in writing for an inspection slot, take a notebook (not a phone camera unless permitted), and note the entries relevant to you — you can then ask for certified copies of specific pages.

• RTI for PMAY (housing) — full parent guide
• All RTI schemes for Goa
• RTI for PMAY (housing) across all states
• State RTI portals directory
• RTI fees by state
• RTI Act 2005
• RTI case law
• AI RTI Drafter — generates the five questions
• First Appeal Drafter
• RTI Timeline Calculator
• PIO Reply Checker
• Awaaz RTI helper

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — §§2(j), 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 19; see RTI Act 2005.
• Goa State Information Commission — contact, address, commissioners (State Chief Information Commissioner Shri. Aravind Kumar H. Nair; State Information Commissioner Shri. Atmaram R. Barve; sworn in 17-09-2024): https://gsic.goa.gov.in/
• Government of Goa — GSIC department page (constitution Notification No. 10/02/2006/LA dated 02/03/2006, Official Gazette Series I No. 14; GSIC Appeal Procedure Rules 2006, Notification No. D/INF/RTI/2005/4531; PIO/APIO/FAA): https://www.goa.gov.in/department/goa-state-information-commission/
• Goa State RTI Online Portal (application, first appeal, second appeal, eChallan): https://rtionline.goa.gov.in
• Central DoPT RTI Online Portal (central authorities only): https://rtionline.gov.in
• PMAY-Urban, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (progress dashboard, CLSS Awas Portal): https://pmaymis.gov.in/
• PMAY-Gramin, Ministry of Rural Development: https://pmayg.dord.gov.in
• Goa Online (state services, CM Helpline track): https://goaonline.gov.in

Last reviewed: 18 July 2026.