MorungExpress:Mokokchung:Wednesday,February 15, 2012.
It was an evening of a different kind for this small group of like-minded youths who gathered at Café Cityville, a popular restaurant in Mokokchung, to talk on the Right to Information Act 2005 and how best to use it for the good of the society.
The youths, mostly graduates and post-graduates and local journalists have been meeting on and off. Their favorite pass-time is discussing various topics relating to the society. Monday’s discussion, dubbed “Hot Heads & Hot Talks”, was the first of its kind in Café Cityville and prominent citizen of Mokokchung Imtirenba Changkiri, Member of Vigilance & Monitoring Committee of the central Ministry of Rural Development was the resource person. Changkiri enlightened the youths on RTI Act 2005 – its importance, powers and how it can be the best tool to bring about transparency and accountability in
the society.
The youths are ordinary but conscious citizens of the town. They are successfully running a small bilingual monthly tabloid (Ao and English) called The Nokinketer (meaning The Warrior in Ao Naga). Although the circulation of the tabloid is limited, the social networking site – Facebook – helps the youths keep in touch, share ideas and meet from time to time. They are friends bonded through a deep love for bringing some change in the society.
“We have been thinking of holding such a discussion from last year, and thankfully the proprietors of Café Cityville came forward and offered to sponsor our ‘hot heads and hot talks’ in their café and even sponsored the coffee for the participants,” said Arsashi Ozukum who took the trouble to organize the programme with his friend Bendang Chingmir.
“This will be a regular feature and we will invite different personalities in the town, and different topics will be discussed during each ‘Hot Head & Hot Talk’ event,” said Bendang Chingmir.
Tonight’s discussion is just a beginning said the youths and discussion, debates and healthy exchange of ideas will be held during each programme.
Why RTI ?
The bi-lingual tabloid, which carries features regarding Mokokchung only, has been highlighting different issues in every edition. The tabloid had carried a cover story on ‘Sanitation’ last October, 2011. Now with the RTI 2005 at hand, The Nokinketer wants to gather more information from the concerned department and agency looking after ‘sanitation’ in the town, and disseminate the information through the tabloid and more importantly through the internet, said the youths. The youths will be filing RTI application to the PHED Mokokchung and the Mokokchung Municipal Council with regard to some information which enlighten the public with regard to sanitation in the town.
Almost everyone has heard something about the Right to Information Act, but do not know how to go about it. Thanks to Imtirenba Changkiri who is also a very concerned citizen in the town, accepted to enlighten the youths on the RTI Act.
Changkiri maintained that RTI Act is a powerful tool which empowers the citizens to make the government accountable and transparent in its dealing; RTI empowers the citizens to physically inspect the records if they are not satisfied with the information rendered by the concerned authority.
Most importantly, Changkiri educated the youths on how to go about filing the RTI application to the concerned authority. He said that the proper channel is through the designated Public Information Officer in the district, who happens to be the District Information Officer in the district. He also enlightened on the proper way to write the application and the time frame when the information is expected. The powers of the citizens through the RTI Act in bringing a change in the society were also shared by the resource person.
“Without information, we are blind; and RTI Act is one very important tool which can open the eyes of the people through proper dissemination of information in the society,” said Imtirenba Changkiri while encouraging the youths to go ahead with the RTI movement in the town. But he also cautioned about the challenges that lay ahead while going for the RTI movement. He cited of instances where the activists are intimated by the majority while the RTI activists are fighting against corruption through the RTI Act. Nonetheless, he encouraged the youths to go ahead fearlessly, saying that this is a good start.
The road ahead:
Though RTI Act 2005 is just an informal discussion over a cup of hot coffee, the youths are optimistic that the talks and sharing of views and opinions and listening to some resource persons would go a long way in educating the society. Even the questions to be put up to the concerned department and agency with regard to sanitation have been finalized and the application will be put up within two days.
“Surely, the number of like-minded youths attending the Hot Heads & Hot Talk’ will increase,” said Sashi Jamir.
“If the French Revolution can start from a café…then surely we can also start a change through these discussions in Café Cityville,” said one of the youths. Perhaps, Hot Heads & Hot Talks is something where hot-headed youths have constructive hot-discussion worth discussing and where ideas meet practicality.
The youths, mostly graduates and post-graduates and local journalists have been meeting on and off. Their favorite pass-time is discussing various topics relating to the society. Monday’s discussion, dubbed “Hot Heads & Hot Talks”, was the first of its kind in Café Cityville and prominent citizen of Mokokchung Imtirenba Changkiri, Member of Vigilance & Monitoring Committee of the central Ministry of Rural Development was the resource person. Changkiri enlightened the youths on RTI Act 2005 – its importance, powers and how it can be the best tool to bring about transparency and accountability in
the society.
The youths are ordinary but conscious citizens of the town. They are successfully running a small bilingual monthly tabloid (Ao and English) called The Nokinketer (meaning The Warrior in Ao Naga). Although the circulation of the tabloid is limited, the social networking site – Facebook – helps the youths keep in touch, share ideas and meet from time to time. They are friends bonded through a deep love for bringing some change in the society.
“We have been thinking of holding such a discussion from last year, and thankfully the proprietors of Café Cityville came forward and offered to sponsor our ‘hot heads and hot talks’ in their café and even sponsored the coffee for the participants,” said Arsashi Ozukum who took the trouble to organize the programme with his friend Bendang Chingmir.
“This will be a regular feature and we will invite different personalities in the town, and different topics will be discussed during each ‘Hot Head & Hot Talk’ event,” said Bendang Chingmir.
Tonight’s discussion is just a beginning said the youths and discussion, debates and healthy exchange of ideas will be held during each programme.
Why RTI ?
The bi-lingual tabloid, which carries features regarding Mokokchung only, has been highlighting different issues in every edition. The tabloid had carried a cover story on ‘Sanitation’ last October, 2011. Now with the RTI 2005 at hand, The Nokinketer wants to gather more information from the concerned department and agency looking after ‘sanitation’ in the town, and disseminate the information through the tabloid and more importantly through the internet, said the youths. The youths will be filing RTI application to the PHED Mokokchung and the Mokokchung Municipal Council with regard to some information which enlighten the public with regard to sanitation in the town.
Almost everyone has heard something about the Right to Information Act, but do not know how to go about it. Thanks to Imtirenba Changkiri who is also a very concerned citizen in the town, accepted to enlighten the youths on the RTI Act.
Changkiri maintained that RTI Act is a powerful tool which empowers the citizens to make the government accountable and transparent in its dealing; RTI empowers the citizens to physically inspect the records if they are not satisfied with the information rendered by the concerned authority.
Most importantly, Changkiri educated the youths on how to go about filing the RTI application to the concerned authority. He said that the proper channel is through the designated Public Information Officer in the district, who happens to be the District Information Officer in the district. He also enlightened on the proper way to write the application and the time frame when the information is expected. The powers of the citizens through the RTI Act in bringing a change in the society were also shared by the resource person.
“Without information, we are blind; and RTI Act is one very important tool which can open the eyes of the people through proper dissemination of information in the society,” said Imtirenba Changkiri while encouraging the youths to go ahead with the RTI movement in the town. But he also cautioned about the challenges that lay ahead while going for the RTI movement. He cited of instances where the activists are intimated by the majority while the RTI activists are fighting against corruption through the RTI Act. Nonetheless, he encouraged the youths to go ahead fearlessly, saying that this is a good start.
The road ahead:
Though RTI Act 2005 is just an informal discussion over a cup of hot coffee, the youths are optimistic that the talks and sharing of views and opinions and listening to some resource persons would go a long way in educating the society. Even the questions to be put up to the concerned department and agency with regard to sanitation have been finalized and the application will be put up within two days.
“Surely, the number of like-minded youths attending the Hot Heads & Hot Talk’ will increase,” said Sashi Jamir.
“If the French Revolution can start from a café…then surely we can also start a change through these discussions in Café Cityville,” said one of the youths. Perhaps, Hot Heads & Hot Talks is something where hot-headed youths have constructive hot-discussion worth discussing and where ideas meet practicality.
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