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You can force the file to speak. A Right to Information application, for ₹10, requires the department to tell you within 30 days the status of your application, the file notings, the officer it is with, the number of days it has sat at each desk, and the reason for delay. Kerala also has a Right to Service framework with published time limits for many services, and a grievance portal at the Chief Minister's office. None of these sanction the subsidy for you. What they do is make delay visible, which in practice moves files.
You can force the file to speak. A Right to Information application, for ₹10, requires the department to tell you within 30 days the status of your application, the file notings, the officer it is with, the number of days it has sat at each desk, and the reason for delay. Kerala also has a Right to Service framework with published time limits for many services, and a grievance portal at the Chief Minister's office. None of these sanction the subsidy for you. What they do is make delay visible, which in practice moves files.
A PMEGP application from a young entrepreneur in Adoor has been 'under process' at the district industries centre for five months. An RTI asking for the date of receipt, the current status, the officer holding it, and copies of all notings brings a reply that the file was awaiting a bank's response since month two. A letter to the bank with the RTI reply attached produces sanction in three weeks.
The Right to Information Act, 2005 applies to every public authority, central and state, including Kerala departments, panchayats, cooperative department offices, public sector banks (as public authorities, for matters not exempt), KSFE, Kerala Financial Corporation and universities. Fee ₹10 (Kerala accepts court fee stamp, DD, cash or online; BPL applicants pay nothing). Time limit 30 days, 48 hours for life-and-liberty matters.
Ask for: date of receipt of your application; present status; officer presently holding the file and dates of movement between officers; copies of notings, orders and correspondence; the department's prescribed time limit for the service; and the reason for exceeding it. First appeal to the senior officer within 30 days of the reply or non-reply; second appeal to the Kerala State Information Commission (or Central Information Commission for central bodies) within 90 days.
Penalties of up to ₹25,000 on the officer for unjustified delay are available. Kerala's Right to Service Act, 2012 notifies services with time limits and designated officers, and allows appeals with penalties. The Kerala CM's public grievance portal and the central CPGRAMS route complaints to the department with tracking. Banks also answer RTI on their own processes, though not on another customer's data.
Your application acknowledgement, with the reference number and date The exact public authority: the district industries centre, Krishi Bhavan, panchayat, KSFE, bank Whether the service is notified under the Kerala Right to Service Act (then the time limit and appellate officer are published) Whether the delay is really at a bank: the department will say so in the notings Whether the scheme itself has a closing date or budget ceiling you are at risk of missing
Writing a complaint instead of an information request. Complaints can be ignored; an RTI has a 30-day legal clock and a named officer. Also: asking 'why is my file delayed' as a question; ask for the documents that show why.
Kerala's Information Commission is active and Kerala officials know RTI well; a precise request is usually answered. Akshaya centres will file RTI online for you. For cooperative societies, which are not public authorities in most rulings, route the RTI to the Registrar's office that supervises them.
RTI filed 1 July. Reply due 31 July. No reply: first appeal 1 August to the appellate authority of the same department; their 30 days run to early September. Second appeal to the State Information Commission after that. Meanwhile, the first appeal alone usually shakes the reply loose.
RTI cannot compel a sanction, reverse a rejection or override whether you may qualify. Third-party information and a bank's internal credit assessment of you may be exempt in part. Private companies and most cooperative societies are not covered directly.
Draft a six-point RTI on the file's status and movement; file online or at an Akshaya centre Calendar day 30; file the first appeal on day 31 if silent Use the reply to write to whoever is actually holding the file
Why do scheme applications take so long? (Vol 1) How do I check the status of a scheme application? (Vol 1)
Scheme & subsidy applications
Right to Information Act, 2005, Sections 6, 7, 19, 20; Kerala RTI Rules · Kerala State Right to Service Act, 2012 and notified services · Kerala State Information Commission Last checked: 22 August 2026. Rates, limits and whether you may qualify change. Confirm with the official source before you act. Ask Kerala Rising: Use only general, non-identifying facts.
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This page is general orientation, not personal insurance, investment, medical, legal, lending, tax, employment, or professional advice. Rules, rates, deadlines, and decisions can change. Confirm the current position with the named official source and use a licensed or qualified professional where your situation requires one. Kerala Rising does not decide whether you may qualify, approve claims, or promise an outcome.