NewsRecognizing the significant achievement of Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Act that has reached top global rankings and highest position in South Asia, Norway reiterated that it is important to bear in mind that there is a long way to go in terms of raising awareness on RTI. “RTI laws are only as good as their users and they depend on public, the media, and civil society to make use of them in order to have an impact. If not, the Act as well as the constitutional right to information would be obsolete,” Ambassador Gaustadsaether stressed. The two day international seminar titled “Empowering Citizens with RTI”- marking the first year anniversary since Act came to effective is jointly organized by Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo. Chairman of SLPI, Kumar Nadesan noted on his opening remarks that at this time, it is mostly members of the fourth state and lawyers who use the act mostly.

Source: Sunday Times May 08, 2018 18:11 UTC