Government asks employees to register for online course on RTI

DNA: New Delhi: Saturday, October 11, 2014.

The Centre has asked employees responsible for disposing applications received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to get themselves enrolled for its online certificate course.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has been conducting an RTI online certificate course in English since 2009, and in Hindi and Telugu since 2012. The course is conducted through Centre for Good Governance (CGG), Hyderabad. "The RTI online certificate course not only offers the benefit of away-from-classroom-learning, but also provides a platform for reinforcing one's learning through interacting with experts and candidates. This course is open for all the citizens and is available free of cost," the DoPT said in an order.

"It is requested that the Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities working in your ministry or department and public authorities under your administrative control may be encouraged to enroll for the online certificate courses on RTI," the DoPT said in the order sent to all secretaries of central government departments. The CGG hosts two courses on RTI--a short duration course of seven days and a longer version of 15 days.

The seven days course is introductory in nature and does not have chat window or moderator facility and does not carry any certificate. However, this is treated as an eligible criterion for getting selection into the longer version 15-days course. The 15-day course is more intensive with practical orientation of applying the RTI Act. This version of the course has the facility of discussion forum and moderation. On successful completion of the course, an e-Certificate will be issued.