DNA: UP: Wednesday, May 11, 2016.
Uttar Pradesh
Chief Information Commissioner Javed Usmani on Tuesday directed all district
magistrates (DMs) and superintendents of police (SPs) to take "necessary
steps" in cases of "genuine" threat to RTI activists in the
course of their work.
The directive
has been issued in the wake of complaints that RTI activists often face
"pressure and threats" while pursuing information under the Right to
Information Act, said Usmani, who had come here for an awareness workshop of
District Information Officers belonging to Aligarh Division. It is for the
district officials to decide the exact nature of the security support which
they give following such complaints and would depend upon their
"discretion", he said.
In reply to a
question, Usmani said NGOs, which get "substantial financial help"
from the government, also fall under the purview of the RTI Act. He made it
clear that private universities which are securing substantive assistance from
government funds are also included in this category.
This is the
third such workshop held in the state this year. Usmani said similar workshops
are scheduled to be held in all divisions of the state within the next two
months.
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