RTI Act completes 10 year, workshop on RTI on October 7

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 21: The Assam State Information Commission (ASIC) is going to organize a one-day workshop on October 7 at the State Administrative Staff College in Guwahati on the occasion of completion of 10 years of the ectment of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.

ASIC Chief Information Officer Himangshu Shekher Das said this in a press conference in Circuit House of the city today. Das said: "We are going to organize the workshop to discuss the successful implementation of the RTI Act in the state and the Northeast on the occasion of completion of 10 years of the Act. The workshop will be attended by representatives of Information Commissions of all the seven Northeast states and Sikkim,  RTI activists of the Northeast and other dignitaries. The keynote address of the workshop will be given by Chief Central Information Commissioner Bijay Sarma."

Das said: "We are also planning to introduce the online video conference between RTI complainers and related government officers from the next fincial year to shorten the time required for the process of application and their replies. We have seen implementation of this process other states, and so we are trying to introduce here also."

ASIC State Information Commissioner Pinuel Basumatary said: "In the last 10 years, the RTI Act was successfully implemented in our state, and we expect more success in this regard. In these years, a total of 4,423 complaints were addressed, while 5,826 complaints are pending. Many people also tried to misuse the Act and harass the public servants in the me of RTI. However, the positive effects were seen more."