Kathmandu, Dec. 27: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has said the Right to Information (RTI) is necessary for durable peace, good governance and development in the country.

Inaugurating the “National Seminar on Women’s Participation in RTI: Challenges and Opportunities” organised by the National Information Commission (NIC) here today, the Minister urged one and all to contribute from their respective quarters for the effective enforcement of the RTI Act.

“The nation needs a lasting peace, good governance and development,” the Minister said adding the RTI is mandatory for the same.

He further described the RTI as the means of empowering the State and the nation keeping them well-informed. As he said, the women upliftment programmes had got a pace following the restoration of democracy in the country.

National Women Commission chair Kamala Parajuli said information is power and women’s participation in RTI should be the focus of all bodies concerned. As she said, political parties have a big role in promoting the RTI and making sure the dissemination of the State’s information on a larger scale. People’s representatives are accountable for the enhancement of RTI at the local levels.

NIC Chief Commissioner Mahendra Man Gurung apprised the session that the programme aimed to encourage women’s participation in RTI. Urging one and all to use RTI as a tool of making the State’s every affair transparent, he said only 17 women reached the Commission last year, seeking the guarantee of their RTI.

NIC Commissioner Kamala Oli gave her presentation on the topic while UN Women Programme Chief Santosh Acharya and journalist Babita Basnet joined the panel as the commentators.

As Basnet said, her personal understanding is that many women are still not aware of the RTI Act which is one of the reasons making them uncomfortable to seek the information.

The participants of the programme were univocal that every citizen should exercise RTI and transparency was a must in the State’s affairs. They insisted on the need of launching nationwide programmes on RTI in cooperation with all related organisations.