RTI vs CPGRAMS — when to use which?

File both the same day:

1. CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in — gets routed to a nodal officer with internal pressure
2. RTI under §6 — creates a statutory paper trail and 30-day deadline

When the RTI reply comes, you have institutional facts. When CPGRAMS closure comes, you have action. Combined: action + accountability.

• Delayed pension → CPGRAMS (push payment) + RTI (file location, who held it)
• Broken streetlight → CPGRAMS (fix it) + RTI (maintenance contract)
• RTE admission denied → CPGRAMS (review) + RTI (lottery records)

Both options are tools — pick based on what you're trying to achieve:

• Use the first option if you need: speed, simplicity, full statutory backing, formal record.
• Use the second option if you need: lower cost (free / minimal), softer push, action over information.
• Combine both for maximum pressure when statutory deadline is approaching.

A citizen with a stuck pension claim filed:

1. CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in for service-delivery push
2. RTI under §6 of the RTI Act 2005 for the file noting + officer-holding-the-file
3. Lokpal/Lokayukta complaint after RTI revealed a pattern of malafide delay

The CPGRAMS got the pension paid. The RTI gave the paper trail. The Lokayukta complaint led to disciplinary action against the responsible officer. Three tools, one outcome.

1. Map your need — information vs action vs accountability.
2. Pick the tool — RTI for information, CPGRAMS for action, Lokayukta for accountability.
3. Use parallel filings — they reinforce each other, especially when the statutory deadline is approaching.
4. Track everything — use Timeline Tracker for §7(1) + §19 deadlines.

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — full text
• Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 — when accountability is the goal
• CPGRAMS — pgportal.gov.in (DARPG)
• Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2019) 9 SCC 199 — IC accountability

• AI RTI Drafter
• First Appeal Builder
• RTI vs alternatives — full decision matrix
• Case-law database

• RTI tools
• RTI for pension delay

Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.

More comparisons: browse every RTI-vs-alternative side-by-side in RTI vs Alternatives: the full comparison hub <!– rti-wiki-comparisons-hub-2026-vs-start –>