Kavrepalanchowk, December 16

A two-day ‘Training of trainers on Right to Information’ began in Dhulikhel today. As many as 20 journalists from various media houses are taking part in the training.

The training is being organised by the National Information Commission with the aim of preparing journalists as RTI trainers.

Inaugurating the training session, Chief Commissioner at NIC Krishna Hari Baskota said RTI helped to make the administration transparent and responsible. The training will conclude tomorrow after distribution of ToT training certificate to all participants.

Right to information is primarily governed by the Interim Constitution 2007, Right to Information Act 2007, Right to Information Regulation 2009, and Classification Guideline issued by the Classification Committee formed pursuant to Article 27 of the Right to Information Act.

Apart from these instruments, a number of other statutes regulate right to information.

Right to Information is one of the lately recognised rights in Nepal. It was recognised as a fundamental right of citizens only two decades ago. For the first time, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990 guaranteed the right to information as a fundamental right.

It recognised the right of citizens to demand and obtain information from public agencies on any matter of public importance. Despite the constitutional guarantee, it took a long time to persuade the government to enact law on right to information.

In 1993, then government tabled the first draft of Right to Information Act in the Parliament.

However, the draft was rejected by the parliamentary committee following opposition by stakeholders.