Information body tells Indian PM's office to disclose status on black money promise

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been asked to disclose information on what his administration has done to bring back black money to the country. 

The Central Information Commission (CIC), a government regulatory body, has directed the Prime Minister's Office to respond to a Right to Information query within the next 15 days. 

The Right to Information (RTI) Act is a legal instrument that empowers citizens to access information from a public authority.

Modi had made the issue of black money the centrepiece of his 2014 general election campaign. He had vowed to bring back illegal money stashed in foreign banks. 

During the campaign trail, the prime minister had promised to distribute the retrieved black money among the poor. He had said he would deposit Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of every poor person. 

Kanhaiya Lal, a resident of the north-west state of Rajasthan, had filed an RTI application to get a status update on Modi's black money promise.

On February 8, he wanted to know when the government would put the promised Rs 15 lakh in his bank account.

The government is, however, yet to officially reply to the query, and claims not to have received the RTI application.

(WION)