BELGAUM: Officials of government departments should ensure that they provide all information sought by the public under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. The failure to provide information within the specified time could force people to approach the police to demand action against erring officials, Thippeswamy, retired commissioner, RTI, Bangalore, has said.

Speaking after inaugurating a two-day workshop-cum-training programme on the RTI Act for government officials in the revenue division of Belgaum at the video conference hall of the Visvesvaraya Technological University, 15 km from here on Thursday, he stressed the need for more awareness about the Act, which ensured transparency in administration. It is with this objective the Government had decided to open a counter to receive applications and provide information in all offices. The training of officials was under way in various districts.

He advised the officials on proper maintenance of records.

It would convenient if the government set up modern record rooms where the subject wise records could be stored in a proper way.

Earlier, V. Vijaykumar, guest faculty in the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, delivered a lecture on "Constitutional basis for the RTI Act; definitions and exemption clauses". Regional Commissioner Amita Prasad highlighted the objectives of the workshop and VTU Registrar M.S. Shivakumar spoke on the facilities at the Jnana Sangam campus and activities of the university.

Interestingly, when presspersons requested copies of information booklet on the RTI Act kept for distribution, the officials initially refused to oblige stating that the copies were meant for government officials and they would give them if some officials did not turn up for the workshop on Friday.

However, later, an official rushed up to the scribes with copies of the booklet.

Also, the presence of a few schoolgirls at the workshop was incomprehensible.

The children, who showed no interest in the lecture and speeches, were made to sit for long.

Incidentally, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education had recently issued a direction against exploiting schoolchildren for such functions.

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