freedom1 Forum has begun a 3-day RTI training to the executive officers and Information Officers of different five municipalities from across the country in the capital city today (July 25).
Inaugurating the training, Secretary at the Ministry of Local Development, Shanta Bahadur Shrestha, said the RTI is directly linked to the rule of law, legitimacy, accountability and the good governance. Lauding the role of FF in building democratic governance by boosting the RTI sphere, Secretary Shrestha said people’s access to good governance would be increased through the practice of RTI.
He urged the participants to better utilize the training and put it into practice to improve governance in the local level.
Similarly, Mr Shrestha said through the use of RTI, information/data could be garnered on what was the contribution of the local development agencies on total poverty reduction. According to him, it was time to find the role of the local development agency in the entire development of the country.
On the occasion, FF Chairperson Taranath Dahal said the FF has the sole aim of improving governance through participatory democracy where the RTI is vital. Once the governance is democratic, the country becomes democratic, he said, adding that the training would help know how the RTI would help municipality officers smoothen public service delivery.
“RTI is the agent to transform society and boost state’s capacity,” he stressed.
Similarly, senior journalist and FF General Secretary Dharmendra Jha said there was no other mighty tha RTI to improve governance and curb corruption in the country.
The use of RTI would make both supply and demand sides of information active and empower citizen and serve democratic values, he argued.
During the training the participants would be imparted theoretical knowledge and related issues of the RTI.
FF Chairman Dahal, General Secretary Jha and RTI trainers are facilitating the training.
It is attended by 12 persons- each two (Information Officer and Executive Officer) from Bhimdutta municipality of Kanchanpur, a district in the southern plain of the far western region, Narayan municipality of Dailekh, a hilly district of the same region, Byas municipality from Tanahu, a hilly district of the western region, Dhulikhel municipality of Kavre, a district adjoining to the Kathmandu Valley, and Dharan municipality of Sunsari, a district in the southern plain of the eastern Nepal.