Commission plans training to officials on Information Act

[karira]

As reported in manglorean.com on 23 August 2008:
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Commission plans training to officials on Information Act

MANGALORE, August 23, 2008: Karnataka Information Commission is contemplating to hold a training programme for Government employees in various districts before conducting hearings of the complaints received against the erring officials.

The objective of the training programme is to create awareness among the officials about the Right to Information Act and its significance to weed out corruption.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Chief Information Commissioner K.K. Misra said he will ask the administrative training institutes to hold the training programmes on the Right to Information Act and its implementation.

Mr. Misra, former Chief Secretary, has said the proposed programmes were still at the nascent stage. If the administrative training institutes did not come forward to organise programmes on their own, the commission itself would fund them, he clarified.

The commission required more staff for effective implementation of the Act. Against the norm to appoint one Chief Commissioner and 10 commissioners, the State has one Chief Commissioner and two Commissioners, Mr. Misra said.

Stating that officials would be fined up to Rs. 25,000 for their failure to furnish information sought by people, Mr. Misra said the commission imposed fine on a chief engineer of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The Commission members heard 96 cases during their two-day sitting in the city on Thursday and Friday. The Commission has decided to hold sittings in Gulbarga in September, Mysore in October and Raichur in November.

Stating that some states have reached agreement with telecom giant BSNL for receiving applications under the RTI Act, he said the Government has take a decision on such facility in the State. The Commission's website (www.kic.gov.in) provides the list of cases scheduled for hearing and copies of the pronounced judgments.