Chief Information Commissioner, Khursheed Ahmed Ganie today stressed on providing voluntary information to the public at regular intervals through various means of communication under Sec 4 of RTI act.He further said that Section 4 of RTI act includes cataloguing, indexing and computerisation of records, publishing certain basic information pertaining to the functioning of the organization.Ganie made these remarks while addressing the concluding ceremony of a three-day training course on “Best practices in the implementation of Right to Information Act” for officers of various departments. The workshop was organized by Center for Social Justice of J&K Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development ( J&K IMPARD). The Departments which participated in the workshop include Department of Information and Public Relations, Department of Forest Protection Force, Hospitality and Protocol and Islamic University of Science and Technology. Awantipura. On the occasion, the CIC that it is important that officials, as well as RTI applicants, should have knowledge of the act so that smooth flow of information takes place.
Ganie also said that any official can be sanctioned for non-compliance if they have shirked their duties under the law.While saying that first appellate authority is the ‘weakest link’, Ganie said that officers of the rank of deputy secretary or heads of departments should be made first appellate authority for better information disclosure.He also said that it is in the authority of the commission to ask the applicant about the purpose of seeking information during the second or third appeal. He distributed participation certificates among the participant at the end of the event. Course coordinator Dr Jahan Ara Jabeen highlighted the objectives of the workshop for government officials.