Colombo Page: Sri Lanka: Monday,
January 23, 2017.
An
Extraordinary Gazette notification published on Friday (20) has announced the
date of the enforcement of the Right to Information Act as from 3rd February 2017.
Minister of
Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Gayantha Karunathilake has issued the
government notification.
Sri Lanka
parliament passed the Right to Information Act on June 24, 2016. On 04 August,
2016, the Speaker certified the RTI Bill as having been duly passed by
Parliament. With this certification, the RTI Bill has become law in Sri Lanka.
Accordingly,
every citizen in the country will get their right to know the information they
need from any government institution. The information can be obtained by the
people in the three official languages.
Under the RTI
Act, ministries, departments, public corporations, local authorities,
non-governmental organizations that are substantially funded by the government,
higher educational institutions, courts and tribunals etc. should provide
access to information and shall maintain records.
However, some
information prejudicial to the national security, national economy,
examinations, foreign trade agreement negotiations, personnel details, details
of medical reports would have restrictions.
According to
the gazette notification, the Right to Information Act should be enforced in
relation to following Public Authorities with effect from 03rd February,
Public
Authorities;
a)
a Ministry of the Government;
b)
any body or office created or established by or under the
Constitution, any written law, other than the Companies Act, No. 7 of 2007,
except to the extent specified in paragraph (e), or a statute of a Provincial
Council;
c)
a Government Department;
d)
a public corporation;
e)
a company incorporated under the Companies Act, No. 7 of
2007, in which the State, or a public corporation or the State and a public
corporation together hold twenty five per centum or more of the shares or
otherwise has a controlling interest;
f)
a local authority;
g)
a private entity or organisation which is carrying out a
statutory or public function or service, under a contract, a partnership, an
agreement or a license from the government or its agencies or from a local
body, but only to the extent of activities covered by that statutory or public
function or service;
h)
any department or other authority or institution
established or created by a Provincial Council;
i)
non-governmental organisations that are substantially
funded by the government or any department or other authority established or
created by a Provincial Council or by a foreign government or international
organisation, rendering a service to the public in so far as the information
sought relates to the service that is rendered to the public;
j)
higher educational institutions including private
universities and professional institutions which are established, recognised or
licensed under any written law or funded, wholly or partly, by the State or a
public corporation or any statutory body established or created by a statute of
a Provincial Council;
k)
private educational institutions including institutions
offering vocational or technical education which are established, recognised or
licensed under any written law or funded, wholly or partly, by the State or a
public corporation or any statutory body established or created by a statute of
a Provincial Council;
l)
all courts, tribunals and institutions created and
established for the administration of justice;
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