Need to strengthen law to protect RTI activists stressed
Bar Association likely to train youth on filing RTI applications
Right to Information Act is the most revolutionary Act that has been introduced in the 21st Century, which has become an affective tool to expose corruption, said District and Sessions Judge H R Deshpande.
He was speaking after inaugurating a district-level workshop on RTI organised by Citizens’ Action for Transparency, a forum formed like minded organisations, on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of RTI Act at Town Hall on Thursday. Expressing concern over the death and harassment of RTI activists, Deshpande said that there is a need for strengthening the law so that RTI activists are protected from hooligans.
Chief guest of the programme, Mangalore Bar Association President S P Chengappa announced of starting training programme for the youth on filing RTI applications in the near future.
“With an objective to bring awareness about the Right to Information Act among the general public, provisions would be made to train the youth on RTI using advocates and experts from the District Legal Services Authority and the Mangalore Bar Association,” he said.
Throwing light on the flip side, he said that no proper investigations have been made to probe into the death of RTI activists including that of Shaila Masood. “The RTI should not be limited to filing the applications and obtaining information, but it should emerge as a movement where the obtained information is made public, thus exposing the loopholes in the system.”
Samvidhankia Chaluvali Chief-convenor Dr Rita Noronha urged to use RTI as a tool to stop harassment of women and the people from backward communities.
In one of the sessions held on the day, Addoor Krishna Rao from Consumer’s Forum informed the gathering, on the method of filing RTI. He urged the people to pro-actively take part in making RTI a movement by the people. A few representatives from various organisations shared their views on how RTI has helped them to obtain information.
