Community awareness campaign for RTI

A community awareness campaign for right to information (RTI) has been launched at Gokarneshwor Municipality-5, Kathmandu today.

The Kathmandu district chapter and the Kathmandu Valley province committee of the National Federation for RTI jointly organized a morning rally for the public awareness on RTI from Jorpati Chowk to Boudha Monastery. The participants in the rally carried the placards reading, 'Seek information', 'Where to seek information', 'Why to seek information', 'Whom to seek information', 'How to seek information', 'RTI for transparency', 'RTI for good governance' etc.

Addressing the rally, central Chairman of the Federation, Umid Bagchand, viewed RTI is an effective medium to end corruption and irregularities, so its promotion is essential. The relevance of RTI is increasing in the wake of growing corruption, bribe-seeking and irregularities in the country, he underscored, adding that every aware citizen should exercise the right to information.

Similarly, Chairman of Kathmandu Valley province committee of the Federation, Tara Bahadur Bhandari, said information can be sought from public agencies on the reservation and incentives given to women so that transparency and accountability would be built in the public agencies.

Kathmandu chapter chair of the Federation, Purna Prasad Mishra, said the public awareness drive on RTI would be taken to every street in the Kathmandu Valley in a bid to create atmosphere favourable for the good governance.

Similarly, programme coordinator and Federation's treasurer, Bhim Lama, observed that there was encouraging participation of local people in the campaign. Similar rally would be conducted at Pashupati area coming Saturday.

On the occasion, Vice Chairperson of Gokarneshwor Municipality, Sannani Lama, also commented that RTI is an effective tool to curb corruption. She suggested the Federation that it encourages women to involve in this drive.

Various other social organizations attended the rally.

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