GAIBANDHA, Sept 29, 2019 (BSS) – International Right to Information Day-2019 was celebrated in the district today with the theme “Access to Information, Leaving No One Behind”.
Marking the day, district administration chalked the elaborate programmes in cooperation with different non-government organizations.
In the morning, a post rally discussion was also held at the conference room of District Collectorate Building here with additional deputy commissioner (General) Alamgir Kabir Saikat in the chair.
Acting deputy commissioner Rokhsana Begum addressed the meeting as the chief guest, and additional police super Anwar Hossain, Sadar UNO Uttam Kumar Roy and consultant of chest diseases clinic Dr. Nazmul Huda were present at the event as special guests.
Moderated by Nezarat Deputy Collector M. Shahidul Islam, the function was also addressed, among others, by district primary education officer Hossain Ali, acting district information officer Haider Ali and president of SachetanNagarik Committee here Jahurul Qaiyum.
Earlier, a lecture on Right to Information (RTI) Act -2009 was delivered elaborately by district trainer on RTI Act-2009 of Information Commission Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman.
In the lecture, Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman said the International Right to Information Day was proposed on September 28 in 2002 at a meeting of freedom of information organizations from around the world in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Showing respects to citizens of the country, the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina passed the RTI Act 2009 on March 29 in 2009, he said.
Then RTI Act 2009 was approved by the president on 5 April in 2009 and a gazette in this regard was published on 6 April, 2009 and it came into effect from July 01, 2009, he added.
The Information Commission started work to implement the Act from July 01, 2009, he further added.
Acting DC Rokhsana Begum in her speeches said the right of every citizen to freedom of thought and conscience, freedom of speech and expression and freedom of the press are guaranteed by Article 39 of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
Terming the information as power, the acting deputy commissioner said free flow of information facilitates would establish citizens’ rights equally and empower the people in society and over the state level.
A large number of people including district and upazila level officials, social workers, NGO activists, leaders of different rights groups participated in the programmes.