Right to information is the ministry's top priority: Communication minister

KATHMANDU: Minister for Information and Communication Dr Bikram Timilsina said on Tuesday that the right to information is a high priority for his ministry and that the government will use existing legal mechanisms to protect and promote it.

Speaking at a meeting with office bearers and central members of National Federation for Right to Information (RTI-Federation), Minister Timilsina said the ministry is working to implement the Right to Information Act, 2064, the Right to Information Rules, 2065, and other related laws, and pledged to mobilise those mechanisms efficiently.

He said the government’s good governance agenda will include measures to use the right to information as a tool to reduce corruption, and added that the process to appoint office bearers to the National Information Commission is about to begin.

RTI-Federation Central Chairperson Umid Bagchand briefed the minister on the federation’s organisational activities across the country and urged a swift appointment of the commission’s office bearers, noting the commission has lacked leadership for an extended period.

The RTI-Federation delegation included Senior Vice Chairperson Tara Bahadur Bhandari, Vice Chairperson Durga Tiwari, General Secretary Purna Prasad Mishra, central committee member Abhimanyu Nepal, RTI-Federation (Bagmati) General Secretary Bhim Lama, and RTI-Federation (Kathmandu) Chairperson Binod Basnet.