RTI strengthens democracy: Expert

LUDHIANA: Aiming to achieve the goal of good governance and bringing about transparency and accountability in the Punjab Government departments, Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration Punjab (MGSIPA), Regional Centre, Patiala, organised a three-day RTI training programme for Public Information Officers (PIOs) and Assistant Public Information Officers (APIOs) under Right to Information Act, 2005 here today.

Tribune news service

Ludhiana, July 22

Aiming to achieve the goal of good governance and bringing about transparency and accountability in the Punjab Government departments, Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration Punjab (MGSIPA), Regional Centre, Patiala, organised a three-day RTI training programme for Public Information Officers (PIOs) and Assistant Public Information Officers (APIOs) under Right to Information Act, 2005 here today.

Around 30 officers/officials of different ranks of various departments of District administration Ludhiana will be participating in this programme.

Pardeep Singh Bains, District Revenue Officer, Ludhiana, while launching the event, said that the RTI Act was an important tool to empower people in a democracy, besides bringing about transparency and accountability in administration at all levels. He encouraged the officers to update their knowledge about this act on the basis of tips given by the RTI experts in the 3-day programme.

Jarnail Singh, Coordinator, RTI Centre, MGSIPA, Chandigarh, while interacting with the participants said the training programme, sponsored by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Government of India has been conceptualised by KBS Sidhu, Special Chief Secretary-cum-DG and Jaspreet Talwar, Secretary to Government of Punjab–cum-Director MGSIPA.

The programme aims to sensitise the concerned officers about the RTI Act and also to make them aware of the latest developments based on the judgments of the Central/State Information Commission and Hon’ble Courts.

He further said this it was a pro-people act and the MGSIPA organised such programmes in all districts to generate awareness about the features of this significant Act.

He said the MGSIPA Institute organised over 300 programmes every year on various subjects like RTI, Sevottom, office procedures, civil service rules, financial management and soft skills, besides providing consultancy, publications and dissemination of ideas/information in an integrated manner. A pool of resource persons, experts of eminence in various disciplines are associated with training programmes.