MoI moving fast to execute RTI Ordinance, says secretary

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The Ministry of Information (MoI) is making all out efforts to put in place all necessary arrangements to execute the Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance-2008 within 90 days of its promulgation, reports BSS.
The ministry has already issued letters to all secretaries of the ministries and divisions, heads of the constitutional, statutory bodies and public and private offices requesting them to appoint an 'authorised officer' at each unit under their offices within 60 days of the promulgation of the ordinance.
Talking to the news agency at his office here Thursday, Information Secretary Jamil Osman said the process of forming a three-member Information Commission under the ordinance was in progress.
The government promulgated the RTI Ordinance-2008 on October 20 this year in the light of the recommendations of an eight- member committee, a report of the Law Commission and proposals gathered from different seminars and symposiums participated by the stakeholders on the issue.
As the ordinance comes into force by January 19, 2009, all required preparations are now being taken to establish the Information Commission, which will execute the RTI Ordinance, the information secretary said adding his ministry was providing secretarial service to constitute the commission.
He said the MoI asked the District Information Officers (DIO), Public Relation Officers (PRO), and all other concerned officials of the ministry to help the offices in this regard.
It also provided training to 44 officials of the ministry who will work as trainers to orient others on the formation of the information unit and providing information to the applicants.
The Information Commission with a mandatory female member will be an independent body and can exercise power like a civil court to achieve the objectives of the RTI ordinance, Jamil Osman said.
The commission will dispose of the citizens' complaints about access to information and help the concerned offices to procure, preserve, classify and disseminate those information.
The present caretaker government (CG) took the decision to formulate the RTI Ordinance, as subsequent political governments were completely indifferent to fulfill the citizens' aspiration to get information in line with the constitutional provision since independence.