CG finally approves RTI ordn to ensure free flow of info

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The council of advisers of the caretaker government (CG) Saturday gave its final approval to the Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance 2008, aimed at ensuring free flow of information to the people, reports UNB.
Under the much-debated new law the responsible official has to provide primary report about a person's life and death, arrest and release from jail to an information-seeker within 24-hours.
"If any assigned officer does not provide information to an information-seeker as per the law, there will be fines at the rate of Tk 50 per day - not exceeding Tk 5,000 in total," says a strict provision of the ordinance.
A meeting of the council of advisers with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair finally approved the RTI Ordinance that empowers people and ensures transparency and accountability for establishing good governance in the country.
It also aims at reducing corruption in the government institutions, institutions run with government funds and aided institutions.
A 3-member Information Commission as watchdog body will be formed with one as its head and two as members, one of them a woman, for effective enforcement of the law.
A five-member selection committee will be constituted to appoint the members of the Information Commission. The Chief Justice will nominate a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for heading the selection committee.
The Speaker of the Parliament will nominate one MP from the Treasury bench and one from the opposition, while the government will nominate one person.
As per a provision of the law, the Information Commission will have financial independence, and it will not require government permission prior to spending its budgetary allocation.
The Ministry of Information placed the ordinance for final approval, which was earlier approved in principle by the advisory council on June 18.
The caretaker government took the initiative to formulate the right-to-information law as part of its ongoing institutional reform, in order to do away with the bureaucratic practice of information holdback.
Opinions from different stakeholders were taken over the law through releasing its draft on website, holding seminars and mass media publicity.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim briefed newsmen about the outcome of the meeting. Members of the advisory council attended the meeting at the CA's office. Cabinet secretary, CA's press secretary and secretaries concerned were also present.