CIC pitches for RTI in school curriculum

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The Central Information Commission has demanded that the Right to Information Act be included in the syllabus at the high school and college levels.

It has also asked for adequate budget allocations to conduct publicity, training and for educational programmes for information seekers and information givers.

"The information of public interest should be taken to the door-steps of citizens," the CIC said in four sets of recommendations to the Government brought out to mark the completion of two years of coming into force of RTI.

These recommendations emerged at the end of a conference state chief information commissioners and officers called here this week to take stock of the working of the Act during the two years of its existence.

The Commission also felt that not enough publicity of RTI had been done by public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio. If they failed to do so, the CIC may run its own TV channel dedicated to RTI, it held.

The CIC also stipulated that all Government services be made accessible to the common man in his locality at affordable costs to the public.
It said the Central and state governments must make adequate fiscal allocations for computerisation and connectivity from Information Commission level to divisions and sub-division level public authorities so as to effectively operationalise the provisions of the RTI Act.

The CIC said the National Panchayat Portal (Ministry of Panchayati Raj) may be used for updating information to the level of panchayats.
There should be notification of e-district services under section 4(1) of the Act to enable and legally enforce sharing of information electronically.

At the moment, the e-District Plan is implemented in a phased manner. In phase one, eight to 10 states have been selected, whereas in Phase 11, the whole country will be covered.

October 20, 2007 15:06 IST
CIC pitches for RTI in school curriculum