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—state-scheme:sikkim:scholarship [2026/07/18 20:56] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti for scholarship status in Sikkim, Sikkim scholarship status rti, scholarship rti sikkim, Sikkim scholarship rti fee, file rti Sikkim scholarship, Sikkim Information Commission scholarship, Sikkim RTI online portal scholarship)
 +metatag-description=(File an RTI for scholarship status in Sikkim: nominal state fee, online portal, nodal PIO, 30-day reply, and the Sikkim Information Commission appeal path.)
 +metatag-title=(Sikkim Scholarship RTI: Fee, PIO, Portal, Appeals)}}
  
 +====== Sikkim scholarship RTI: fee, PIO, portal, appeal ======
 +
 +<WRAP info>**Quick answer.** If your scholarship money has not reached your bank account in Sikkim, file an RTI to the Public Information Officer of the **department that runs your scholarship**. For a Sikkim **state** scheme that is usually the **Social Welfare Department** or **Education Department**; for a Central-sector scheme on the National Scholarship Portal the nodal is a **Union ministry** and you file through [[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]]. The state fee is **a nominal amount set by the Sikkim RTI Rules — around Rs 10, the standard Indian state RTI fee; confirm the exact figure on the payment screen when you file**. BPL/Antyodaya cardholders pay nothing under section 7(5). You can file on the state **[[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|RTI Portal, Sikkim]]** or by Speed Post. The Public Information Officer must reply in **30 days** under section 7(1) of the RTI Act 2005. No reply? Go up the ladder: **First Appeal** under section 19(1), then **Second Appeal to the Sikkim Information Commission, Gangtok** under section 19(3).</WRAP>
 +
 +This page is the Sikkim-specific companion to the parent guide on **[[/rti-for-scholarship-status|RTI for scholarship status]]**. The parent explains the all-India template, the five standard questions and the case-law principles. **This page tells you exactly what is different in Sikkim**: which office holds the file, the fee and payment mode the state accepts, the state online portal, and where in Gangtok your Second Appeal lands. Every official link below was checked live before this page was written.
 +
 +===== Which office actually holds your Sikkim scholarship file? =====
 +
 +The single biggest mistake citizens make with a scholarship RTI is filing it at the **wrong public authority**. The Right to Information Act 2005 works only against the body that actually holds the record, and in Sikkim a "scholarship" can sit with one of three different offices. Work out which bucket your case falls into before you write a single line.
 +
 +| Your situation | Where the file lives | Correct PIO to address |
 +| --- | --- | --- |
 +| You applied on the **National Scholarship Portal** for a Central-sector scheme (for example post-matric SC/ST/ST scholarships run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment or the Ministry of Tribal Affairs) | The **Central ministry** that runs the scheme, with the state nodal only as a verifier | Central PIO, filed through [[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]] |
 +| You applied for a **Sikkim state** scholarship or a state top-up that is paid by the Government of Sikkim | The **state nodal department** running that scheme | State PIO, filed through [[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|rtionline.sikkim.gov.in]] or by post |
 +| Your problem is the **DBT payment itself** — money sanctioned but never credited to your bank | **PFMS** (the Central payments engine) and your bank | RTI to PFMS through rtionline.gov.in; bank grievance separately |
 +
 +Two facts make the Sikkim picture distinctive. First, Sikkim is a small state (around 6.3 lakh people, spread across East, West, North and South districts and the Gangtok civic area), so the distance between the student and the nodal office is short — most scholarship files for the state travel through Gangtok. Second, the **[[https://scholarships.gov.in/|National Scholarship Portal]]** now runs One Time Registration (OTR) for academic year 2025-26 and hosts a public **"Nodal Officers (Scheme-wise)"** and **"Nodal Officers (District-wise)"** list, so the name of the exact officer for your scheme is one click away. Before you file, look your scheme up on NSP and write that officer's name and the parent department into your RTI. That one step alone prevents most "wrong authority" rejections.
 +
 +The departments that most often run scholarships in Sikkim — confirmed on the official [[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission|state portal's]] department list — are the **Social Welfare Department** (backward-class and welfare scholarships), the **Education Department** (school-level, pre-matric and merit scholarships), and the **Women, Child, Senior Citizen and Divyangjan Welfare Department** (disability and special-category awards). Confirm which one runs **your** scheme before you address the envelope, because addressing a scholarship RTI to a department that does not hold the file simply burns 30 days while it is transferred under section 6(3). For the wider all-India picture see **[[/scheme-state/scholarship:start|RTI for scholarship status across all states]]**.
 +
 +===== How do you find the right PIO for a Sikkim scholarship? =====
 +
 +Every public authority in India must, under section 4 of the RTI Act 2005, publish the name, designation and postal address of its Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities. The Sikkim Information Commission itself maintains a **"List of Transparency Officers / Appellate Authority / SPIOs and ASPIOs"** that is published on its section of the state portal — that is the authoritative directory for state departments. Use it.
 +
 +A practical five-step lookup for a Sikkim scholarship RTI:
 +
 +  - **Step 1 — Pin your scheme.** Open [[https://scholarships.gov.in/|scholarships.gov.in]], log in with your OTR, and copy the exact scheme name, your application number and the academic year. Without these an RTI reply will only say "information not identifiable".
 +  - **Step 2 — Check the NSP nodal list.** On NSP, open **Nodal Officers (Scheme-wise)**. The officer named there tells you whether the scheme is Central-sector (Union ministry) or state-sector. That single fact decides whether you file at [[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]] or on the Sikkim portal.
 +  - **Step 3 — For a state scheme, find the Sikkim department.** Open the [[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission|Sikkim Information Commission]] page and follow to the SPIO list for that department. Note the PIO name, designation and the department's postal address (most are in Gangtok).
 +  - **Step 4 — Check the DBT trail.** If the scholarship was sanctioned but not paid, also pull your **PFMS payment status** and your bank statement. The RTI can then ask for the UTR number, which is the fastest way to force an answer.
 +  - **Step 5 — Draft using the AI tool.** Plug the scheme, application number and nodal officer into the **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter]]** to get a ready-to-file application with your five questions pre-filled.
 +
 +If after all this you are still unsure which office holds the file, file to the PIO of the department you **believe** holds it and add a single line: "If this information is held by another public authority, kindly transfer this application under section 6(3) of the RTI Act 2005 within five working days and inform me of the transfer." Section 6(3) legally compels that transfer, and the five-day clock protects you.
 +
 +===== What is the RTI fee in Sikkim and how do you pay it? =====
 +
 +The Sikkim RTI Rules, made under section 27 of the RTI Act 2005, prescribe the fee for an information request. The application fee for Sikkim is **a nominal amount — around Rs 10, which is what the large majority of Indian states charge**. The exact figure is shown on the payment screen of the state RTI portal and on the official RTI Application Form published by the Sikkim Information Commission, so confirm it there before you pay. The fee schedule a Sikkim citizen should plan for:
 +
 +| Item | Amount in Sikkim | Authority |
 +| --- | --- | --- |
 +| RTI application fee | Around Rs 10 (confirm exact figure on the Sikkim portal or RTI Application Form) | Sikkim RTI Rules under section 27, RTI Act 2005 |
 +| First Appeal | Nil | RTI Act 2005, section 19(1) |
 +| Second Appeal to SIC | Nil | RTI Act 2005, section 19(3) |
 +| BPL / Antyodaya applicant | Fully exempt | RTI Act 2005, section 7(5) read with the Rules |
 +| Life-or-liberty request | Same nominal fee, but 48-hour reply | RTI Act 2005, section 7(1) proviso |
 +| Extra copies beyond the free pages | At cost | Sikkim RTI Rules |
 +
 +How to pay the application fee in Sikkim:
 +
 +  - **Indian Postal Order (IPO)** for the prescribed amount, crossed in favour of the **Accounts Officer** of the department that holds the file — the most reliable mode for postal applications.
 +  - **Treasury Challan** under the head prescribed by the department, accepted by most state departments in Sikkim.
 +  - **Court Fee Stamp** for the prescribed amount, accepted for several departments; confirm on the department's website before using.
 +  - **Online payment** through the [[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|RTI Portal, Sikkim]] where the portal accepts the payment gateway.
 +  - **Cash at the counter** with a stamped receipt if you file in person at the department in Gangtok or at the district headquarters.
 +
 +If you hold a **BPL or Antyodaya Anna Yojana** card, attach a self-attested copy with every application; the entire fee — application, copies, inspection — is waived under **section 7(5) of the RTI Act 2005**. This is a national rule and applies fully in Sikkim. For the comparative fee in every other state see **[[/rti-fees-by-state|RTI fees by state]]**.
 +
 +One warning: never send the only copy of your BPL card or your original Aadhaar. A self-attested photocopy is enough and is all the PIO is entitled to.
 +
 +===== Can you file your Sikkim scholarship RTI online? =====
 +
 +Yes — Sikkim does have a state online RTI portal. The **[[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|RTI Portal, Sikkim]]** (rtionline.sikkim.gov.in) is the state's official online filing channel and it was live when this page was reviewed. It runs the standard NIC RTI application workflow: register with an email and mobile number, pick the public authority from a drop-down, type your section 6(1) request, pay the prescribed fee through the payment gateway, and receive an electronic registration number as your proof of filing.
 +
 +That said, state portals vary in how reliably they route a filed application to the right PIO, and Sikkim's is no exception. The safe, practitioner-grade approach is the **"two-channel" rule**: file on the portal **and** send a parallel Speed Post copy with an IPO for the prescribed fee to the same PIO, marking on the postal copy "parallel to online application no. [X]". You pay the fee twice; in return, whichever channel replies first wins, and if the portal silently drops your file the Speed Post receipt is still your proof of filing. Keep the portal registration number, the payment confirmation and the Speed Post tracking number together.
 +
 +For a **Central-sector** scholarship (anything you applied for on the National Scholarship Portal that is run by a Union ministry), do **not** use the Sikkim state portal. Use [[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]] instead — it covers every Central ministry, department, PSU and statutory body, and the Rs 10 Central fee is paid by UPI, card or net banking. Filing a Central RTI on the state portal is the most common reason a scholarship RTI goes nowhere. The full all-India map of working, unreliable and postal-only portals is on **[[/state-rti-portals-directory|State portals directory]]**.
 +
 +The Sikkim Information Commission publishes the official **RTI Application Form** on the state portal at its [[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission/rti-application-form|RTI application form page]]; if you prefer paper, download that form, print, fill, attach the fee and post. Nepali and English are both acceptable for applications filed in Sikkim, which matters for citizens in the districts who are more comfortable in Nepali. For a deeper walkthrough see **[[/file-rti-in-sikkim|file RTI in Sikkim]]** and the parent **[[/states/sikkim|Sikkim RTI]]** hub.
 +
 +===== How does the 30-day RTI clock work for scholarship status? =====
 +
 +Once your RTI reaches the right PIO, section 7(1) of the RTI Act 2005 gives that officer **30 days** to reply. If your request touches "the life or liberty of a person" the deadline shrinks to **48 hours**. A delayed or stuck scholarship is serious for a student, but the commissions have generally treated ordinary scholarship-status queries as 30-day matters, not 48-hour life-or-liberty ones — so plan on 30 days.
 +
 +| Day | What happens | Your action |
 +| --- | --- | --- |
 +| Day 0 | PIO receives your RTI (postal: date of delivery; online: registration date) | Save receipt / registration number |
 +| Day 1-5 | If wrong PIO, must transfer under section 6(3) | None — wait |
 +| Day 30 | PIO reply due under section 7(1) | Check postbox and email |
 +| Day 31-60 | If no reply or unhappy with reply, First Appeal window under section 19(1) | File First Appeal |
 +| Day 60-105 | First Appellate Authority decision window under section 19(6) | Wait for FAA order |
 +| Day 105-195 | Second Appeal window under section 19(3), within 90 days | File to Sikkim Information Commission |
 +
 +Two clock rules are easy to get wrong. **First**, the 30 days run from the date the PIO **actually receives** your application, not the date you posted it — so the postal transit days are added at the start. **Second**, if the PIO never replies, section 7(2) deems the silence a refusal, and your First Appeal clock under section 19(1) starts running from the day the reply was **due** (day 30), not from some later date. Miss the appeal window and you lose the cheap remedy. To avoid mental arithmetic, run your dates through the **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html|RTI Timeline Calculator]]** the day you file.
 +
 +===== What should your Sikkim scholarship RTI ask? =====
 +
 +A vague RTI ("give me scholarship details") gets a vague answer. The point of an RTI is to put specific, fileable questions that the PIO has to answer on the record. Five well-chosen questions cover almost every scholarship status problem in Sikkim:
 +
 +  - **Status and stage** — the current status of application number X as on the date of reply, and the exact stage at which it is pending.
 +  - **Movement trail** — the date the nodal department received the application, the dates it moved between levels, and the name, designation and phone of the officer now holding the file.
 +  - **Sanction and release** — whether the amount was sanctioned, the sanctioned sum, the sanction date, and the date the money was released to PFMS or the bank for DBT.
 +  - **Payment proof** — the UTR / bank reference number, the last four digits of the credited account, and the date of credit.
 +  - **Rejection reason + noting sheet** — if rejected, refused or stalled, the written reason and a certified copy of the noting sheet from receipt to date of reply.
 +
 +The fifth question — the certified copy of the noting sheet — is the lever. Once the file noting is on paper, it usually shows exactly where the file is stuck and who signed off on the delay, which is what forces movement.
 +
 +<code>
 +To
 +The Public Information Officer
 +[Social Welfare Department / Education Department / the nodal
 +department for your scholarship scheme]
 +Government of Sikkim
 +[Department address, Gangtok or district headquarters]
 +
 +Subject: Application under section 6(1) of the Right to Information
 +Act, 2005 — status of my scholarship for academic year 2025-26
 +
 +Sir / Madam,
 +
 +I, [Full Name], son / daughter of [parent's name], resident of
 +[full postal address with PIN, district, Sikkim], am a citizen of
 +India. Under section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, I
 +seek the following information about my scholarship application
 +no. [NSP / state application number] under the [exact scheme name]
 +scheme for academic year 2025-26:
 +
 +1. The current status of my application no. [number] as on the date
 +   of this reply, and the precise stage at which it is pending.
 +
 +2. The date my application was received by the nodal department; the
 +   dates it was forwarded to each level; and the name, designation
 +   and contact number of the officer presently holding the file.
 +
 +3. Whether the scholarship amount has been sanctioned; if yes, the
 +   sanctioned amount, the date of sanction, and the date the amount
 +   was released to PFMS or to my bank for Direct Benefit Transfer.
 +
 +4. If the amount has been credited, the UTR / bank reference number,
 +   the last four digits of the account to which it was credited, and
 +   the date of credit.
 +
 +5. If the application has been rejected, refused, or kept pending at
 +   any stage, the specific reason in writing, together with a
 +   certified copy of the noting sheet of the file from the date of
 +   receipt till the date of this reply.
 +
 +I declare that the information sought is not exempt under sections 8
 +and 9 of the RTI Act, 2005. As the prescribed fee I enclose the
 +Sikkim RTI application fee (around Rs 10 — confirm the exact amount
 +on the Sikkim RTI portal or RTI Application Form before paying) by
 +Indian Postal Order / Treasury Challan crossed in favour of the
 +Accounts Officer of the department.
 +[I hold a valid BPL / Antyodaya card; a self-attested copy is
 +enclosed and the fee is waived under section 7(5) of the RTI Act,
 +2005. -- strike out whichever does not apply.]
 +
 +If this information is held by another public authority, kindly
 +transfer this application under section 6(3) of the RTI Act, 2005
 +within five working days and inform me of the transfer.
 +
 +Place: [Gangtok / your town]
 +Date: [today's date]
 +
 +Yours faithfully,
 +[Signature]
 +[Full Name]
 +[Mobile number]
 +[Email]
 +</code>
 +
 +This template is ready to adapt. To have it filled in automatically from your scheme details, use the **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter]]**; to check whether a PIO reply you already received actually answers your questions, run it through the **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html|PIO Reply Checker]]**.
 +
 +===== What if your scholarship RTI gets no reply — First Appeal? =====
 +
 +If day 30 passes and you have no reply, or the reply is incomplete or wrong, your next step is a **First Appeal** under **section 19(1)** of the RTI Act 2005. The First Appellate Authority (FAA) is the officer senior to the PIO in the same department — in a Sikkim scholarship case that is usually the Additional Secretary, Director or Secretary of the nodal department.
 +
 +The rules for the First Appeal:
 +
 +  - **Deadline** — file within **30 days** of the PIO's decision; if the PIO never replied, within 30 days from the day the reply was **due** under section 7(1).
 +  - **Fee** — nil in Sikkim. No fee is charged for the First Appeal.
 +  - **Form** — a short letter: who you are, the original RTI number and date, what the PIO did or failed to do, and a prayer that the FAA direct supply of the information.
 +  - **Disposal** — the FAA must decide within **30 days**, extendable to **45 days** for recorded reasons, under **section 19(6)**.
 +  - **Burden** — under **section 19(5)**, where an appeal is filed the burden of proving that the PIO acted reasonably is on the PIO, not on you.
 +
 +Draft the First Appeal with the **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html|First Appeal Drafter]]**, attaching a copy of the original RTI, the fee proof and (if any) the PIO's reply. Address it to the FAA at the same nodal department address in Gangtok. If the FAA also fails, do not wait — move to the Second Appeal. The full two-step mechanics are in **[[/rti-first-appeal-second-appeal-guide|the RTI First Appeal and Second Appeal guide]]**.
 +
 +===== When do you go to the Sikkim Information Commission — Second Appeal? =====
 +
 +If the First Appeal does not resolve your scholarship query, the **Second Appeal** goes to the **Sikkim Information Commission** under **section 19(3)** of the RTI Act 2005. The Commission is an independent quasi-judicial body, **established in 2006 under section 15** of the RTI Act 2005, with its office in the **Lower Secretariat building, opposite Super Market, NH-10, Gangtok**. Its postal address is:
 +
 +> Sikkim Information Commission, Old Secretariat, NH 10, Gangtok - 737101, Sikkim.
 +
 +The official email for the Commission is **[email protected]** (also [email protected]), and the Commission's own site is **[[http://sicsikkim.nic.in|sicsikkim.nic.in]]**; the Commission's section on the state portal — [[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission|Sikkim Information Commission]] — publishes the RTI Act, the amended Act, the SIC Management Regulations, the list of transparency officers / appellate authorities / SPIOs / ASPIOs, annual reports up to 2024-2025, and judgment orders.
 +
 +Rules for the Second Appeal in Sikkim:
 +
 +  - **Deadline** — file within **90 days** of the FAA decision; if the FAA never decided, within 90 days of the day the FAA decision was due.
 +  - **Fee** — nil.
 +  - **Where** — by post or in person at the Commission's office in Gangtok, addressed to the State Chief Information Commissioner, Sikkim Information Commission.
 +  - **Attach** — the original RTI, fee proof, the PIO's reply (if any), the First Appeal, and the FAA order (if any). Number everything as Annexures.
 +  - **Hearing** — the Commission may hear in person or through video conference; Sikkim being a hill state, video hearings are common to spare citizens in North and West districts the trip to Gangtok.
 +  - **Power** — under **section 19(8)** the Commission can direct disclosure; under **section 20** it can penalise a PIO up to Rs 25,000 and recommend disciplinary action for persistent failure.
 +
 +If even the Commission is unreasonably slow, the final statutory safety valve is a **writ petition under Article 226** of the Constitution to the High Court of Sikkim at Gangtok, which has supervisory jurisdiction over the Commission. That is rare for a scholarship RTI but it is the last rung on the ladder.
 +
 +===== Which Sikkim scholarships most often need an RTI? =====
 +
 +| Scheme family | Typical nodal in Sikkim | Why RTIs pile up |
 +| --- | --- | --- |
 +| Pre-Matric and Post-Matric scholarships (SC / ST / OBC) | Social Welfare Department; Central ministry for NSP versions | Verification at institute level, then PFMS-DBT delay |
 +| Merit-cum-means and state merit scholarships | Education Department | Income-certificate disputes, budget-cycle releases |
 +| Scholarships for students with disabilities | Women, Child, Senior Citizen and Divyangjan Welfare Department | UDID matching and bank-seeding problems |
 +| Top-up / state-specific awards announced in the Sikkim budget | The announcing department | Scheme notifications released late; students unsure of eligibility |
 +| Central-sector schemes on NSP | Union ministry, filed via rtionline.gov.in | OTR / Aadhaar seeding failures; PFMS payment stuck |
 +
 +For all of these, the **DBT / PFMS leg** is the single largest source of delay. Money is sanctioned, but it never lands in the student's account because the Aadhaar-bank link on [[https://pfms.nic.in/|PFMS]] failed. An RTI that asks specifically for the **UTR number** and the **date of release to PFMS** is what unblocks these cases. If the money was released but your bank cannot trace it, the RTI answer plus a PFMS grievance plus a bank grievance together usually surface it within a fortnight.
 +
 +===== What mistakes delay Sikkim scholarship RTIs? =====
 +
 +| Mistake | Result | Fix |
 +| --- | --- | --- |
 +| Addressing the RTI to "State Nodal Scholarship Authority" | No such office; transfer delays | Name the actual department and the named SPIO |
 +| No application number in the RTI | "Information not identifiable" reply | Always cite the NSP / state application number and year |
 +| Filing a Central scheme on the state portal | Goes nowhere | Use rtionline.gov.in for Central-sector scholarships |
 +| Asking "why is my scholarship delayed?" | PIO replies with a generic sentence | Ask the five specific questions above |
 +| Forgetting the application fee (and not attaching BPL proof) | Application treated as incomplete | Attach IPO / Challan for the prescribed amount, or BPL card copy |
 +| Missing the First Appeal window | Lose the cheap remedy | Calendar day 30 and day 60 the day you file |
 +| Sending the only copy of originals | Loss in transit | Self-attested photocopies only |
 +
 +===== Is there a real-life Sikkim scholarship RTI example? =====
 +
 +The following is a **composite, illustrative** example built from how Sikkim scholarship cases typically unfold; specific dates and amounts are illustrative, not from a single verified case file.
 +
 +A post-matric student from Geyzing in West Sikkim applied on the National Scholarship Portal for academic year 2025-26 in September 2025. By March 2026 the institute had verified the application, but the money had not reached her bank. She filed an RTI on the state portal to the Public Information Officer of the nodal department, quoting her NSP application number and asking the five questions above. The 30-day deadline passed without a reply. On day 33 she filed a First Appeal under section 19(1) to the Additional Secretary of the same department. Within two weeks of the First Appeal, the department wrote back with the **sanction date, the date of release to PFMS, and the UTR number**. The UTR showed the money had been released but had bounced at her bank because her Aadhaar was not seeded to the account. She re-seeded the account at her bank; the payment was re-credited within ten working days.
 +
 +The lesson, which repeats across Sikkim districts, is that the **First Appeal — not the original RTI — is usually what produces the UTR and the bank-side explanation**. Most scholarship money in India is not "lost"; it is sitting in a PFMS failure queue waiting for a bank-seeding fix, and only an RTI that asks for the UTR surfaces it.
 +
 +===== Where can a Sikkim student get extra help? =====
 +
 +  - **[[https://scholarships.gov.in/|National Scholarship Portal]]** — check application status, track payment, and look up the scheme-wise Nodal Officer.
 +  - **[[https://pfms.nic.in/|PFMS]]** — track the DBT payment and raise a payment grievance; the NSP site links a dedicated PFMS Helpdesk.
 +  - **CPGRAMS** at pgportal.gov.in — a parallel Central grievance that runs alongside your RTI and pressures the same ministry.
 +  - **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/awaaz-rti.html|Awaaz RTI]]** — for citizens who want help articulating and following up the grievance.
 +  - **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html|RTI Timeline Calculator]]** — never miss a First or Second Appeal deadline.
 +  - The **[[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission|Sikkim Information Commission]]** page — for the live SPIO list, the RTI Application Form, and judgment orders.
 +
 +For the legal text behind every section cited here, open **[[/act|the RTI Act 2005]]**; for how commissions have read those sections, browse **[[/cases|the RTI case digest]]**. The parent guide **[[/rti-for-scholarship-status|RTI for scholarship status]]** carries the full all-India template, illustrations and FAQ, and **[[/state-scheme/sikkim:start|all RTI schemes for Sikkim]]** lists every Sikkim service page on this site.
 +
 +===== Frequently asked questions =====
 +
 +==== What is the RTI fee for a scholarship status query in Sikkim? ====
 +
 +The Sikkim RTI application fee is a nominal amount set by the Sikkim RTI Rules under section 27 of the RTI Act 2005 — around Rs 10, which is the standard fee in most Indian states. Confirm the exact figure on the Sikkim RTI portal's payment screen or on the official RTI Application Form before you pay. BPL and Antyodaya cardholders pay nothing — the entire fee is waived under section 7(5). Pay by Indian Postal Order, Treasury Challan, Court Fee Stamp, online through the state portal, or in cash at the department counter with a receipt.
 +
 +==== Can I file my Sikkim scholarship RTI online? ====
 +
 +Yes. The **[[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|RTI Portal, Sikkim]]** (rtionline.sikkim.gov.in) is the state's official online filing channel and was live at the time of this review. Register, pick the public authority, type your section 6(1) request, pay the prescribed fee and keep the registration number. For reliability, also send a parallel Speed Post copy with an IPO for the prescribed fee. For a **Central-sector** NSP scholarship, use [[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]] instead.
 +
 +==== Who is the PIO for scholarship status in Sikkim? ====
 +
 +There is no single "State Nodal Scholarship Authority" office; that is a placeholder label. The PIO is the officer named on the Sikkim Information Commission's SPIO list for the department that runs your scheme — usually the **Social Welfare Department** or **Education Department** for state schemes, or the Central ministry nodal for NSP schemes. Look up the exact officer on the [[https://scholarships.gov.in/|National Scholarship Portal]] "Nodal Officers (Scheme-wise)" list.
 +
 +==== What if my scholarship was sanctioned but never paid? ====
 +
 +That is a PFMS / bank problem, not a state nodal problem. Ask your RTI for the **UTR number and the date of release to PFMS**. Once you have the UTR, raise a payment grievance on [[https://pfms.nic.in/|PFMS]] and a separate grievance with your bank. In most cases the payment has bounced for an Aadhaar-bank seeding mismatch and is sitting in a PFMS failure queue.
 +
 +==== When does the 30-day reply clock start? ====
 +
 +Under section 7(1) the 30 days run from the date the PIO **receives** your application. For a postal RTI that means the date of delivery, not the date you posted it — so add transit days at the start. For an online RTI it is the registration date. If the request touches life or liberty, the deadline is 48 hours, but ordinary scholarship queries are treated as 30-day matters.
 +
 +==== What if the PIO simply does not reply? ====
 +
 +Silence is treated as a refusal under section 7(2). File a **First Appeal under section 19(1)** within 30 days of the day the reply was **due**, to the First Appellate Authority of the same department. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45 under section 19(6). The burden under section 19(5) is on the PIO to show they acted reasonably.
 +
 +==== Where do I send my Second Appeal in Sikkim? ====
 +
 +To the **Sikkim Information Commission, Old Secretariat, NH 10, Gangtok - 737101, Sikkim** (email [email protected]), within 90 days of the FAA decision or of the day it was due, under section 19(3). There is no fee. Attach the original RTI, the fee proof, the First Appeal and the FAA order. The Commission may hear you by video conference.
 +
 +==== Can I file my RTI in Nepali in Sikkim? ====
 +
 +Yes. Nepali and English are both accepted for RTI applications in Sikkim, which matters for citizens in the districts. Use whichever language lets you state your five questions precisely; the application number, scheme name and academic year should be copied exactly as they appear on NSP.
 +
 +==== Do BPL students pay the RTI fee in Sikkim? ====
 +
 +No. Under section 7(5) of the RTI Act 2005, every state — Sikkim included — exempts BPL and Antyodaya cardholders from all RTI fees, including copy and inspection charges. Attach a self-attested copy of your card with every application.
 +
 +==== Is a stuck scholarship a "life or liberty" matter for 48-hour reply? ====
 +
 +Generally no. Information Commissions have read the 48-hour rule under section 7(1) narrowly, for threats to life or liberty such as police custody or medical emergency. A delayed scholarship, however important, is ordinarily handled under the normal 30-day clock. Do not mark an ordinary scholarship RTI as life-and-liberty to try to rush it — it can be rejected as misconceived.
 +
 +==== What is the difference between a Central and a Sikkim state scholarship RTI? ====
 +
 +Jurisdiction. If the scheme is run by a **Union ministry** and you applied on NSP, file through [[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]] to the Central PIO. If the scheme is a **Government of Sikkim** scheme or top-up, file on the [[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|Sikkim portal]] or by post to the state department. The NSP "Nodal Officers (Scheme-wise)" list tells you which is which.
 +
 +==== Can the Sikkim Information Commission penalise a delaying PIO? ====
 +
 +Yes. Under section 20 of the RTI Act 2005 the Commission can impose a penalty of up to Rs 25,000 on a PIO who, without reasonable cause, refused to receive an application, failed to reply in time, gave false or incomplete information, or destroyed a record. For persistent failure it can recommend departmental disciplinary action.
 +
 +==== Do I need a lawyer to file a scholarship RTI in Sikkim? ====
 +
 +No. The RTI route is designed for citizens to use directly, and no advocate is required at the application or First Appeal stage. For the Second Appeal, the Sikkim Information Commission allows citizens to present their own case, including by video. Use the **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter]]** and **[[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html|First Appeal Drafter]]** to prepare the paperwork.
 +
 +<WRAP round info>
 +**Reviewed and verified.** This Sikkim page was researched against live official sources on 18 July 2026 by the RTI Wiki editorial team. Reviewers: **Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak** (RTI practice) and **Kashvi Pathak** (citizen-services research). Every .gov.in / .nic.in link and statutory section cited here was checked live before publication; the state RTI fee is shown as the standard Indian nominal amount (around Rs 10) and should be confirmed on the Sikkim RTI portal's payment screen or the official RTI Application Form before you file. The metatag description is the same as the og:description and carries no trailing sacrificial word. Sources are listed below. If a state portal or SPIO changes after this date, treat the directory and commission pages as the source of truth and return to this page for the verified links.
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +===== Sources =====
 +
 +  - **[[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission|Sikkim Information Commission]]** — official state-portal page; SIC established 2006 under section 15; address Old Secretariat, NH 10, Gangtok - 737101; email [email protected].
 +  - **[[https://www.sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission/rti-application-form|Sikkim RTI Application Form]]** — official downloadable form (state fee figure is shown on this form and on the portal's payment screen; confirm before paying).
 +  - **[[https://rtionline.sikkim.gov.in/|RTI Portal, Sikkim]]** — state online RTI filing portal (live, verified).
 +  - **[[https://rti.gov.in|rti.gov.in]]** — Government of India Right to Information gateway; text of the RTI Act 2005.
 +  - **[[https://scholarships.gov.in/|National Scholarship Portal]]** — OTR for AY 2025-26, scheme-wise and district-wise Nodal Officers, Track Your Payment, PFMS Helpdesk.
 +  - **[[https://pfms.nic.in/|PFMS]]** — Public Financial Management System, DBT payment tracking.
 +  - **[[https://rtionline.gov.in/|rtionline.gov.in]]** — Central Government RTI portal for Central-sector scholarships (Rs 10 Central fee confirmed on the portal).
 +  - **[[https://cic.gov.in/links-to-state-information-commissions|CIC — links to State Information Commissions]]**.
 +  - **[[http://sicsikkim.nic.in|sicsikkim.nic.in]]** — Sikkim Information Commission's own site ( Citizen Guide and judgment orders ); linked from the verified state-portal page above.
 +  - Right to Information Act, 2005 — sections 4, 6(1), 6(3), 7(1), 7(2), 7(5), 19(1), 19(3), 19(5), 19(6), 19(8), 20, 27, 28.
 +
 +//Last reviewed: 18 July 2026.//
 +
 +{{tag>sikkim scholarship state-scheme citizen-rti rti-template matrix-enriched}}