Bhubaneswar: A democratic nation requires an informed citizenry and transparency in information that are essential for building a developed nation and making the administration accountable to the people, experts said at an event to mark the Right to Information (RTI) Day celebration here, Saturday. A city-based forum RTI Clinic celebrated the day at Ekamra Haat here by organising an informal meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, lawyer and RTI activist Manoranjan Panda said that all kinds of information in the possession of government agencies are collected and compiled to use them for the welfare of the citizens. Since these facts are meant for public interest, there is no reason to hide them from the beneficiaries and citizens. But for a long time, the information available to the government was not made public to the citizens. He emphasised that information is the source of power, so everyone should exercise the RTI. It is not possible to build a developed India (Viksit Bharat) unless an informed and conscious citizenry is created.
Citizens are central to a country’s development and a country cannot move forward if its citizens are held back, said the experts attending the event. Associate Professor of Social Work Raghunath Mandal said, “Right to Information Act has been in force in India since October 12, 2005. It has completed 19 years. The Act plays an important role in making the administrative system of the country transparent and accountable by providing information to the public. On this occasion, founder of RTI Clinic Manoranjan Panda called upon the participants to file RTI for the larger interest of their area and to keep alive the transparency law in the country. Students and people from different sections of the society participated in the programme.