Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) Punjab organised a 2-day TrainingProgramme on RTI Act, 2005 for Public Information Officers (PIOs), APIOs and Concerned Staff of Sub-DivisionSri Anandpur Sahib at SDM Office, Sri Anandpur Sahib here today.Officers and Officials of Different Departments took part in this programme involving huge public interest.The Training Programme which has been sponsored by Ministry of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India aims to sensitise the concerned officers about the Act and also to make them aware about the latest developments based on the judgements of the Central/State Information Commissions So that they can speedily expedite the applications received from information seekers according to the provisions in the Act.Jarnail Singh, Course Director (RTI) MGSIPA, Chandigarh while highlighting the importance of RTI Act, 2005 training programmes, said that this Act is a pro-peoplelegislation, which has contributed in a big way for strengthening democracy through participation of the common people in administrative system. He said that the MGSIPA Institute has now expanded its scope of trainings under the able guidanceof Special Chief Secretary, Govt. of Punjab and Director General, MGSIPA Mr. KBS Sidhu, IAS and Secretary to Govt. of Punjab and Director, MGSIPA Mrs. JaspreetTalwar, IAS and organises over 300 programmes in a year on various subjects like RTI, Induction Training for Newly RecruitedPunjab Government Officials of Different Ranks,Office Procedures, Civil Service Rules, Financial Management, Soft Skills, Drug Abuse Prevention, Gender Issues, E-Governance, Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on Induction Training (COMMIT)&etc, besides proving consultancy, publications and dissemination of ideas/information in an integrated manner. A pool of resource persons, experts, of eminence in various disciplines are associated with training programme.RTI experts Sh. DC Gupta, IDAS (Retd.) and Sh. Lakhbir Singh, Enforcement Officer (Retd.), Backfinco.delivered their lectures on different sections in the RTI Act, 2005.Mr. AS Sodhi, Project Coordinator, MGSIPA Regional Centre Patiala highlighted the objectives of the training programme.