12-10-2011 was the RTI Foundation Day.
RTI instrument completed six years of its glorious use to make India’s democracy participative and meaningful, in exposing many scams and for the first time in the history of our nation, put some of the MPs, MLAs, Ministers (including CM) and business magnets in jail.
BCAS foundation, PCGT and IMC held a function on 12-10-2011. The keynote address was delivered there by Justice (Retd.) Shri C. S. Dharmadhikari. We also brought out two-page supplement in MID DAY on 12-10-2011, the same is available to glance at in BCAS & PCGT Library.
This was followed by 6th Annual Convention 2011 on 14th & 15th October at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
I was invited by the Central Information Commission who organises this convention each year and I attended it.
Delegates from Maharashtra along with two Maharashtra Information Commissioners and a Central Information Commissioner here under at the 6th Annual Convention held a New Delhi.
Four speeches were delivered at the Inaugural session:
Welcome speech by Shri Satyananda Mishra, Chief CIC
Prime minister’s Inaugural Address
Address by Shri V. Narayanasamy, Hon’ble Minister of State (PMO & Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions)
Vote of Thanks by Shri M. L. Sharma, CIC. There were 4 technical sessions as under:
Group I : Transparency and accountability: with special reference to Public-Private Partnership Projects
Group II : RTI Act: potential and efficacy in curbing corruption and grievance redressal
Group III : RTI Act, exemption provisions and Second Schedule
Group IV : Experiences and Prospects of Information Commissions
Finally, presentations were made by chair persons and panelists of each of 4 groups, mostly through power-point presentations.
The Convention concluded with valedictory address by Shri Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar.
