Under the Samurdhi scheme (a scheme to provide relief to low income earners), recipients are entitled to claim discounts on their utility bills. A Samurdhi recipient in Ampara who did not receive this entitlement, complained to the Water Board in January. As no action was taken by the Water Board, he filed an RTI in March, requesting information as to what action was taken pursuant to his complaint, however, he did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, TISL was engaged in training Public Authority Officials in terms of the relevance of the Right to Information for Open Government & Accountability in Akkaraipattu in the Ampara District. This was held on the 27th of March 2018. We have now been informed that after the training, the Water Board apologized to the information requester for the delay in replying to the RTI request and indicated in response that they would ensure that the relevant amount would be deducted from future water bills. The Water Board has now shown a willingness to promptly respond to RTI requests.