Sangrur, April 21
The New Democratic Party (NDP), recently formed here with the motto of providing clean politics and making people aware on various public issues, organised its first seminar on the Right to Information Act (RTI) here last evening.
Addressing the seminar, secretary of the People for Transparency, an NGO, Kamal Anand said before the RTI Act there was a symbolic democracy in our country, but now participatory democracy had started working. Anand further said under the RTI Act, one had to just give a simple application to the PIO concerned with a Rs 10 postal order to seek information and if reply did not come within 30 days, one could send appeal to the State Information Commission Office, SCO 84-85, Sector 17-C, Chandigarh, for further action.
In charge of the local RTI Act centre, Sham Lal Singla said this was a very simple and strong Act for the welfare of the public. He said many people knew about this Act, but did not use it. So there was a need to use this Act in a big way in the larger interest of the public.
President of the NDP A.S. Mann, college lecturer Shalinder Singh, organising secretary, NDP, Prahlad Singh, Nand Lal Gandhi, Gurhakam Singh, Sanjiv Kumar, Gurdev Singh Dirba, Kulwant Singh, Surinder Singh Patran and Gurdial Singh also took part in the discussion.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080422/punjab1.htm#15