How to File RTI with DRDO or ISRO — Recruitment Marks, Exam Results and Budget Data

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are two of India's most prominent scientific and technological agencies. DRDO, under the Ministry of Defence, is responsible for the research and development of defence technologies across aeronautics, naval systems, electronics, missiles, armaments, life sciences, and related domains. ISRO, under the Department of Space (which functions under the Prime Minister's Office), is responsible for India's civilian space programme — including satellite development, launch vehicles, remote sensing, and space exploration.

Both organisations are public authorities under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, being bodies established by the Central Government and substantially funded from public funds. Citizens have a right to seek information held by these bodies — subject to the significant national security exemptions discussed below. The most common reason ordinary citizens approach DRDO or ISRO with an RTI is to obtain their own recruitment examination results: marks, OMR sheets, cut-offs, and selection criteria. A smaller but important category involves budget data, service rules for scientists, and access to already-published reports and papers.

What DRDO and ISRO Can and Cannot Disclose Through RTI

Understanding the boundary between disclosable and exempt information is essential before filing. Both organisations carry substantial legitimate exemptions under Section 8(1)(a) and Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act.

Information That Is Disclosable

Information That Is Typically Withheld

DRDO vs. ISRO: Which Ministry, Which Portal

Both organisations use rtionline.gov.in — never send a physical application if you can file online, as the portal provides proof of filing and a registration number for follow-up.

Common RTI Use Cases

DRDO CEPTAM exam — marks and OMR sheet: DRDO CEPTAM (Centre for Personnel Talent Management) conducts tiered written examinations for recruitment to Technician A, Admin Assistant, and other technical/support posts. Thousands of candidates appear and many score close to cut-off. RTI is frequently used to get section-wise marks, OMR sheet copies, and the final answer key — identical to the approach used for NTA or SSC examinations.

DRDO Scientist B recruitment: DRDO recruits Scientist B through a written test followed by an interview conducted by the respective laboratory or headquarters. Candidates use RTI to verify their marks in both components, the cut-off applied, and the final merit list composition.

ISRO Scientist/Engineer SC recruitment: ISRO conducts a centralised written test (often of objective type) followed by an interview for the Scientist/Engineer SC grade. The marks in the written test and interview, the cut-off scores, and the selection criteria are all obtainable through RTI.

Budget and expenditure data: Researchers, journalists, and civil society organisations periodically seek DRDO's or ISRO's budget allocations by broad programme category. The Union Budget's Demands for Grants already contain aggregate figures; RTI can be used to obtain more granular published figures or to receive a directed reference to specific documents. Note: programme-level classified budgets will be withheld under Section 8(1)(a).

Service rules for scientists: Serving DRDO/ISRO scientists, or those considering whether to join, sometimes need clarification on the pay matrix applicable to Scientist B–G grades, promotion timelines, MACP/DACP benefits, or transfer policies. These are purely administrative rules and fully disclosable.

Published reports and technical papers: Both DRDO and ISRO publish unclassified reports, technology development summaries, and papers in their own journals (DRDO publishes the Defence Science Journal, and various technology cluster publications; ISRO publishes reports on ISRO.gov.in). RTI can serve as a formal access mechanism to obtain copies or official references to such publications.

Where to File

For DRDO:

1. Go to rtionline.gov.in and click Submit Request
2. Select Ministry of Defence → Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
3. Draft your application — include your post name, roll number, registration number, and examination year
4. Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders exempt (upload BPL card copy)
5. Submit and save the registration number for follow-up

For ISRO:

1. Go to rtionline.gov.in and click Submit Request
2. Select Department of Space → Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
3. Draft your application — include your post name, roll number, and recruitment advertisement number
4. Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders exempt
5. Submit and save the registration number

If your query relates to a specific DRDO laboratory (e.g., DRDL Hyderabad, CAIR Bengaluru, NPOL Kochi), DRDO Headquarters is still the primary CPIO for centralised recruitments. For laboratory-specific matters, the individual laboratory may have its own CPIO — check the DRDO website's RTI section to confirm the correct CPIO for your query.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For

For recruitment / examination queries:

1. My marks (raw marks) in the written examination / Tier-I / Tier-II for the post of Post Name in Recruitment Name Year, Roll Number XXX — broken down by section or paper as applicable
2. A copy of my scanned OMR sheet as captured at the examination centre for Roll Number XXX
3. The official final answer key for the question paper set / series I was given in the written examination for the post of Post Name
4. Category-wise cut-off marks at each stage (Tier-I / Tier-II / Final Merit) for General / OBC / SC / ST / EWS / PwD for the post of Post Name in this recruitment
5. The selection criteria and weightage formula used for preparing the final merit list — the percentage or marks assigned to the written test, interview, skill test, and any other component
6. My marks in the interview / skill test (if applicable), Roll Number XXX, and the maximum marks for that stage

For budget and service rules: 7. The total budget allocation for DRDO / ISRO for the financial year YYYY-YY as published in the Union Budget Demands for Grants — by broad category (salary, capital, R&D grants) 8. The R&D expenditure incurred by DRDO / ISRO during YYYY-YY broken down by broad technology domain or programme category, as contained in the published Annual Report or any other existing document 9. The service rules (or a reference to the relevant notification / circular / OMs) governing pay scales, promotions, and transfer policy for DRDO / ISRO scientists at Scientist B through Scientist G grades 10. The number of sanctioned and filled posts for the grade of Scientist B / Technician A / specify at DRDO HQ / ISRO HQ / specific centre as of date 11. A copy of, or the URL/title of, the latest published Annual Report of DRDO / ISRO and any unclassified technology reports publicly released in the last two financial years

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or if the response is unsatisfactory (information denied, partially provided, or inaccurate), file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at DRDO Headquarters or ISRO Headquarters, as applicable. The FAA is typically an officer senior to the CPIO. File within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. Include your original RTI registration number and state the specific ground for appeal (no response / partial denial / inadequate information).

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA's response is also absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the date on which the FAA response period expired. Both DRDO (Ministry of Defence) and ISRO (Department of Space) are Central Government bodies — the second appeal goes exclusively to the CIC, not any State Information Commission.

The CIC has in multiple orders directed government departments — including defence and scientific organisations — to provide recruitment-related information such as marks, OMR sheets, and cut-offs to candidates, holding that such information does not attract any national security exemption. Where a CPIO refuses administrative recruitment information by incorrectly invoking Section 8(1)(a), the CIC has imposed penalties under Section 20 of the RTI Act.