Saurabh Bhaghat, IAS, Director General, J&K Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development (JK IMPARD) chaired the Inaugural function of one-day Online Training Course on “CPIOs under Right to Information (RTI)” at IMPARD Main Campus, Srinagar, on December 4th, 2021.

Officers designated in various Departments of J&K Government as First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), Public Information Officers (PIOs), and Assistant Public Information Officers (APIOs) under the RTI Act, 2005, participated in the Online Training Course.

Shri Saurabh Bhaghat, Director General, said, “transparency is the bedrock of Good Governance and providing information to citizens held by public authorities is the most important indicator of Good Governance practice.”

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He said that RTI is a wonderful platform that can act as a feedback mechanism for all the Government Departments and that therefore, the public authorities (APIOs, PIOs, and FAAs) should learn to treat RTI as a yardstick of Good Governance practice.

The Director General further said that Public Authorities should monitor RTI application properly. They should not search for excuses to deny information un-necessarily. They should not treat RTI as a burden. Instead they should appreciate that RTI is a great tool that empowers the citizenry of the country which makes them aware of the progress and prospects of administration.

The Director General J & K IMPARD appreciated the Commissioner Secretary GAD Shri Manoj Kumar Driwedi to grant the task of training 4000 officers in RTI Act to J & K IMPARD which has the Centre of Excellence for RTI headed by Dr Jahan Ara Jabeeen. Under directions from worthy Chief Secretary, Shri A. K. Mehta, IAS, General Administration Department has deputed the first batch of the public authorities (APIOs, PIOs, and FAAs) to J&K IMPARD for Training on RTI Act.

A Handbook on RTI prepared by J&K IMPARD for the use of APIOs, PIOs, and FAAs under the “Scheme of Improving Transparency and Accountability in Government through Effective Implementation of RTI Act” has also been formulated.