Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said awareness of the people would ensure good governance and enhance efficiency of the administration.
“The Right to Information (RTI) Act works as a bridge between the people and the administration. The people know all activities of the administration through this law,” he said in an interview on Saturday with BSS on the eve of International Right to Know Day.
The day will be observed in Bangladesh, like in other countries of the world, through various programmes.
The information minister said democracy means rule of law and a transparent and accountable system of governance.
The RTI act ensures people’s right to know and it has a provision of punishment, if the administration declines to give information, he said, adding that this law plays an important role in building a transparent and accountable governance system.
He said mass media is the ‘mirror of democracy’ and the RTI act is a big weapon in favor of mass media, which can use it for the benefit of the people and play a role in establishing democracy and good governance.
Chief Information Commissioner Mohammad Faruque said RTI Act is a law for the people. They would use this law more when they would be conscious.
If the common people become conscious, they would be able to know information from union councils and upazila councils. This will enhance accountability of local public representatives, he added.
Mohammad Faruque said every government office is a store house of information. It is possible to disclose 70 percent information of this government store voluntarily through this act. The rest 30 percent could be provided on demand, he added.
The RTI act came into force in 2009. Since then, the Information Commission has been observing different programs to create awareness among the people about the law.
In the last five years, 667 complaints were received under the law, of which 666 were settled.
