Bangladesh
President Awareness should be raised at grassroot level on Right to Information Act: President
Dhaka, Sept 25: President Md. Shahabuddin has directed the Information Commission to take necessary steps to make the people at grassroot level aware of the Right to Information Act.
Chief Information Commissioner Dr. Abdul Malek led a delegation of the Information Commission to present the Commission's Annual Report-2022 to the President at Bangabhaban on Sunday morning, he gave this instruction. Information Commissioner Shahidul Alam Jhinuk and Masuda Bhatti were present at the time.
Chief Information Commissioner Dr. Abdul Malek presented the annual report of Information Commission Bangladesh-2022 to the President. Information Commissioner Janab Shahidul Alam Jhinuk, Information Commissioner Janab Masuda Bhatti and Commission Secretary Zubaida Nasreen were present.
Later, President's Press Secretary Md. Joynal Abedin told the briefing that during the meeting, the Chief Information Commissioner informed the President about various aspects of the report and the overall activities of the Commission. He said that in 2022, the amount of payable information is 97 percent compared to the required information.
President Shahabuddin said that getting information is the basic right of people. Free flow of information expands human welfare and shrinks corruption. He emphasized on the comprehensive implementation of the Right to Information Act to fight corruption.
The President directed to take necessary steps to make the people at the grass root level aware of the Right to Information Act and its proper implementation. Besides, he said to involve people from different levels of society including administration, representatives of civil society to increase the implementation of Right to Information Act.
Journalist Masuda Bhatti and retired judge Shahidul Alam Jhinuk were appointed as information commissioners on August 24, a press release was published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
According to the notification, the President has appointed them to that post as per Section 15(1) of the Right to Information Act. A notification regarding their appointment has also been issued by the ministry. According to the notification, the appointment period of Masuda Bhatti and Shahidul Alam as Information Commissioner will be for five years or their attaining the age of 67 years whichever is earlier. Journalist Masuda Bhatti replaced Suraiya Begum in the Information Commission. And Shahidul Alam was appointed to the vacant post.
