• PM-KISAN — Rs. 2,000 every four months. Often stuck at “land seeding” or “Aadhaar mismatch”.
• NSAP (National Social Assistance Programme) — old age, widow, disability pensions. State transfers usually.
• Scholarships — Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, Top Class, Begum Hazrat Mahal. Often stuck at institute certification.
• PMAY (Urban / Gramin) — installments released by stage. Delays at Assessment → Sanction → Release.
• LPG Subsidy — after DBTL, money is supposed to land within 48 hours of cylinder delivery.
• MNREGA wages — central liability; delays are often at FTO (Fund Transfer Order) level.
• Crop insurance (PMFBY) — delays in claim settlement by insurance companies.
• Ayushman Bharat — empanelled hospital not receiving reimbursement.

A single RTI often fails because the “right” authority is unclear. Use this three-layer strategy:

1. Layer 1 — Implementing Authority. Block office / tehsil / school / hospital where the application was submitted. They hold the sanction file.
2. Layer 2 — Sanctioning Authority. District office / state department. They release the fund.
3. Layer 3 — PFMS / Treasury / Bank. They effect the transfer.

Start at Layer 1. If reply blames Layer 2, file next RTI there. If Layer 2 says transfer done, the bank has the UTR.

Use this quick lookup:

• PM-KISAN — Dept of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Also the State Agriculture Dept and the Nodal Officer at district.
• NSAP pension — State Social Welfare Department; file at District Social Welfare Officer.
• Scholarships — Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (central); State Department of Higher Education + NSP Cell; also the educational institution.
• PMAY — Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (urban) / Rural Development (gramin); District Urban Development Authority; Block DRDA.
• LPG Subsidy — Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas; concerned Oil Marketing Company (IOC / HPCL / BPCL); local distributor.
• MNREGA — Ministry of Rural Development; State NREGS Commissioner; Block Development Officer.
• PMFBY Crop Insurance — Agriculture Department + the insurance company. The CPIO of insurance companies like AIC of India is listed at rtionline.gov.in.
• Ayushman Bharat — National Health Authority; State Health Agency (SHA).

To,
The Central / State Public Information Officer,
[Concerned Department and Office],
[Address]

Subject: Information under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, regarding non-receipt of benefit under the [Scheme Name] Scheme.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], S/o / D/o / W/o [Parent / Spouse's Name], resident of [Full Postal Address with PIN], hereby request the following information:

Scheme: [e.g., PM-KISAN / PMAY-U / NSAP-IGNOAP / Pre-Matric Scholarship]
Application / Beneficiary ID: [ID]
Date of application / enrolment: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Expected benefit: [Rs. amount / installment details]
Bank Account (last 4 digits only): XXXX
Aadhaar last 4 digits: XXXX

Please provide:

1. Current status of my application / beneficiary record — approved, pending, rejected, or struck off.

2. Certified copy of the sanction order, bearing the name and designation of the sanctioning officer.

3. Date on which the amount was released through PFMS / State Treasury, and the UTR number / Fund Transfer Order (FTO) reference.

4. The bank branch and IFSC through which the transfer was attempted, and, if the transfer failed, the reason recorded by the bank in the rejection message.

5. If the application is rejected or suspended, the exact ground of rejection quoting the specific clause of the scheme guidelines and the officer who recorded the decision.

6. In the case of [PM-KISAN / LPG / DBT schemes], the status of my Aadhaar seeding, PFMS verification, and NPCI mapping as on the date of this application.

7. Name, designation and posting of the Nodal Officer at the district / block level for this scheme.

8. Grievance redressal hierarchy and the contact of the First Appellate Authority.

9. Number of similar applications pending at this office for more than 30 days.

10. Steps required from my end, if any, to release the pending benefit.

I enclose Indian Postal Order / Challan No. __________ dated __________ for Rs. _____ as the prescribed RTI fee.

I declare that I am an Indian citizen. I am below poverty line [attach BPL card, if applicable, in which case no fee is payable].

Yours faithfully,

[Full Name]
[Signature]
[Date] [Place]

1. Current status.
2. Sanction order copy.
3. PFMS UTR / Fund Transfer Order.
4. Bank IFSC and transfer outcome.
5. Exact rejection ground.
6. Aadhaar seeding / NPCI mapping.
7. Nodal Officer.
8. Grievance hierarchy.
9. Number of pending similar cases.
10. Corrective steps from your end.

• Day 0. Layer-1 RTI filed.
• Day 30. Reply.
• Day 31–60. Layer-2 RTI if Layer-1 blames the district / state.
• Day 60–90. Layer-3 RTI (to PFMS / bank) with the UTR in hand.
• Day 90+. First / Second Appeals.

In at least 30% of Central scheme cases, the mere filing of a Layer-1 RTI results in release within 15 days — because most hold-ups are clerical.

• PM-KISAN installment stuck 8 months. RTI revealed land records had a mismatched father's name. Correction via Patwari, installment released within 21 days.
• Scholarship not credited. Institute had not certified the “continuing student” status. RTI to NSP + institute triggered the certificate.
• NSAP pension stopped. District had marked recipient “deceased” based on outdated beat constable report. RTI forced restoration with arrears.
• LPG subsidy missing for 6 months. Aadhaar de-duplication flagged a mismatch. RTI surfaced the NPCI rejection code; resident re-seeded and subsidy resumed.
• PMAY-G first installment not released 14 months after sanction. Block's geo-tagging was incomplete. RTI extracted the field officer's name; re-visit arranged, installment released.

• Lists of other beneficiaries are generally disclosable (public interest, Section 4), but their bank details are protected.
• Internal scheme audit reports older than one year are disclosable; current-year audit working papers may be withheld under Section 8(1)(b) if in proceedings.
• Cabinet notes on scheme approvals are exempt under Section 8(1)(i) for 10 years.

• Filing at a wrong level. Layer matters.
• Not quoting the beneficiary / application ID.
• Asking vague questions like “why have I not received my pension”. Ask specific questions (UTR, sanction order, rejection reason).
• Using combative language — officers answer facts, not rhetoric.

Q1. I am BPL. Is RTI free for me?
Yes. Attach a copy of the BPL card / ration card. No fee. Certified copies are also free.

Q2. Can one RTI cover multiple schemes?
No. Each RTI should target one scheme, at one authority. Multi-subject RTIs are returned under Section 7(9).

Q3. The online portal shows “Approved” but the money is not in my account. Where is the hold-up?
Very likely at PFMS or bank. Question 3 and Question 4 of the sample will extract the UTR. With that, the bank branch must explain any rejection.

Q4. Can I ask for the list of all beneficiaries in my village?
Yes — this is classic Section 4(1)(b) information. Most states already publish it. Ask for the list in question form.

Q5. What if my state has its own RTI portal but the scheme is central?
File two RTIs — one on the central portal to the Ministry, one on the state portal to the district office. Parallel filing cuts the total reply time.

1. Identify the scheme, the beneficiary ID, the date of application.
2. Pick the correct department (use the lookup above).
3. Copy the sample RTI; fill details.
4. File online via the correct portal (state vs central).
5. Mark Day 15 and Day 30.

• PF or pension delayed? File RTI
• RTI for personal problems — 5 cases
• File RTI online in India
• State RTI Portals Directory
• AI to draft your RTI

Last reviewed: 21 April 2026. Scheme operational guidelines verified against Ministry of Finance / DBT Mission and scheme-specific circulars of 2025.