The Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE)extended its capacity-building initiative to the North East with a ‘National Meet on Right To Information (RTI) Act’ in Shillong, Meghalaya. Key speakers included Shri Heeralal Samariya, Chief Information Commissioner, CIC; Shri H. Nongpluh, State Chief Information Commissioner, Meghalaya; and Shri Atul Sobti, Director General, SCOPE. Emphasizing the transformative power of the RTI Act, the speakers stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in governance. With over 80 participants from 34 PSEs, the event aimed to enhance understanding and awareness of RTI provisions.
Shri Heeralal Samariya interacting with the participants said that the intention of the Right to Information Act is to foster transparency and accountability in governance. Commending the large participation in SCOPE’s workshop, he asserted that though RTI is a small Act, it is the most powerful Act. He further advised officials to facilitate information to the Public as it is their right and be up-to-date in displaying their information in the public domain.
Shri H. Nongpluh spoke about how RTI is one of the most empowering Acts and the mindset of the Public Information Officer (PIO) is pivotal and they must be prompt in giving replies of RTIs. He also emphasized that such programs must be organized frequently to create better awareness about the Act.
Shri Atul Sobti in his address shared that SCOPE decided to organize this National Meet in Shillong due to the rising prominence of the city, as it takes steps towards becoming a Smart City. Calling RTI the most unique, vital and empowering legislation, DG, SCOPE emphasized that the idea to conduct this meet across various regions was to facilitate more clarity, inform and deliberate on the various provisions of RTI.
