DIMAPUR — Elaborating on the prevailing scenario in Naga society, which is characterised by ‘corruption and sub-standard practices’ resulting in low quality public services and products, the director of Horticulture, Meyasashi, has emphasised on the importance of Right to Information (RTI) Act in accessing information to fight corruption.
Meyasashi stated this during a one-day state-level training on RTI Act for public information officer (PIO) and assistant public information officer (APIO) of Horticulture department held in the conference hall of its directorate in Kohima on October 10. The training was organised in collaboration with the State Information Commission as part of RTI Week celebration, which is observed from October 5 to the 12th, stated a DIPR report.
Lamenting on the prevailing scenario in Naga society, which is characterised by corruption and sub-standard practices resulting in low quality public services and products, he has advocated for an ideal society-one that is prosperous achieved through hard work. He further cautioned the participants against resorting to bribery.
The chief information commissioner, I Meyionen Jamir, who was also the keynote speaker of the event, appreciated the initiatives undertaken by the department. He stressed on the need for training to empower individuals to defend themselves and assert their rights.
Describing RTI Act of 2005 as an act which allows the public to exercise their rights, Jamir stated that the intention of the Act was to serve information seekers, except for those falling under the exempted category in Section 8 of the Act. He outlined the challenges faced by RTI seekers by categorising them into four groups namely genuine seekers who are rare; individuals who are well-informed about their rights but have malicious intentions; those who use RTI for blackmail; and those who use it to harass public officials.
Jamir further emphasised that the goal of the Act was to eliminate the sources of corruption and stressed that RTI Act should not be misused or abused.
The master trainer of the training was Worhonthung Ezung, deputy secretary of Nagaland Information Commission. The programme was chaired by I Chubatoshi, PIO and deputy director of Horticulture, while the invocation prayer was said by Kikalemba, accounts officer, and concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Ayieno Hibo, additional director of Horticulture.
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