GUWAHATI, June 26 - The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Thursday conducted a webinar on �Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 � Its salient features and implementation�.
G Subramanian, former Deputy Secretary and former Registrar of the Central Information Commission, conducted the virtual workshop, which was attended by officials of PIB, Regional Outreach Bureau, and Field Outreach Bureau from across the North East.
Subramanian, in his initial remarks, said that the RTI Act is crucial as it mandates timely response to a citizen�s request for government information. He spoke on the salient features of the RTI Act and its implementation.
He asserted that transparency of information is vital in a democratic country like India.
�The RTI Act not only empowers the citizen to question about the functioning of the governments, but also helps in containing corruption and in holding the public servant accountable,� Subramanian added.
LR Vishwanath, head of the department, Directorate General (North East zone), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in his welcome address, said that the Act has done a great job since its inception in the country. The Act aims at promoting transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, he said.
Vishwanath said the government officials must maintain transparency in their work and no file should be kept pending. He further suggested that periodical sensitisation of government officials on RTI is also essential.
The webinar was moderated by Gopajit Das, Media and Communication Officer, PIB Shillong, and summed up by Keerti Tiwari, Joint Director, PIB Guwahati.
