House committee finalises RTI bill

The parliamentary committee on environment, media and technology has finalised the draft of the Right to Information bill following discussions held at the parliamentary secretariat on Friday.

The bill proposes a three-member high commission on media to oversee the media environment in the country and work for expansion and promotion of the media sector.

The bill has made it mandatory to the public authorities to furnish any information demanded by agencies or individual citizens within 15 days. Refusal or denial to this mandatory responsibility would invite Rs 1,000-25,000 fines on the responsible official.

The provision is mandatory to NGOs as well.

Similarly, the government offices should appoint a spokesperson to coordinate with media and provide information to the seekers.

The bill is expected to be endorsed by the parliament during this monsoon session. nepalnews.com ia July 13 07