Voluntary groups to create awareness on RTI Act, says Zamir

The Information Commission is working to make people aware of the Right to Information Act by forming some voluntary groups, Chief Information Commissioner Mohammad Zamir said yesterday.
He was addressing a workshop for lawyers on “Using the Right to Information Act to secure the public interest and accountability”.
The daylong event was jointly organised by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) at the former's office in the city.
Zamir said the voluntary groups have been working to develop awareness among people about their right to information.
He claimed the commission's website is now much richer and visited every day by people from around 40 countries.
Presenting the keynote paper, Prof Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University law department explained the methods by which lawyers could utilise the Right to Information Act.
He also called on the lawyers to consult related websites of India, Zimbabwe and the USA for further information.
BLAST Honourary Director Sara Hossain, CHRI Programme Coordinator Venkatesh Nayak, Human Rights and Legal Aid Committee of Bangladesh Bar Council President ZI Khan Panna and Supreme Court Advocate Idrisur Rahman also spoke at the workshop.