As part of the strategic campaign for promoting demand for information so as to produce a strategic group of RTI activists and promote its practices at local level in a sustainable manner, the freedom1 Forum has begun the first lot of 5-day orientation on practical use of RTI Act from September 9, 2012. The training was inaugurated by Acting Chief Information Commissioner Shree Acharya. He wished the success of the training and said the training would not only braoden RTI scope but also carry out the works that Commission should do. During the practical training, the participants would be imparted theoretical session in the morning and thorough practical session in the afternoon. It is aimed at making them able to identify cases of filing application demanding public and individual service related information, practice the entire processes involved in requesting information, follow-up of the request, complaint and appeal in the line with the RTI Act 2007 and Regulations-2008. It is compulsory for each intern that they file five applications that include three public interests information and two relating personal services such as pension, scholarship, government allowance, health, education etc. freedom1 Forum Chairman Taranath Dahal, member and journalist Dharmendra Jha and RTI Support Center Coordinator at freedom1 Forum Sanjeeb Ghimire are facilitating the training.
Freedom Forum is a prominent non-governmental organization in Nepal dedicated to institutionalizing democracy, protecting and promoting human rights, press freedom, freedom of expression, right to information, promoting audit accountability, open and accountable budget, public finance reforms, citizen engagement in public finance management and citizen participation in audit. Established in February 2005, the organization emerged in response to the political turmoil following Former King Gyanendra’s coup dated February 1, 2005, which imposed severe restrictions on media and democratic rights. A group of media professionals, legal experts, and academics founded Freedom Forum to safeguard Nepal’s hard-earned democratic freedoms during this repressive period.
