DHAKA, Sept 28, 2021 (BSS) - Information and Broadcasting Minister
Dr Hasan Mahmud today said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has
ensured the right to information of the countrymen.

   The minister was addressing a discussion organised by the
Information Commission marking the International Day for Universal
Access to Information 2021 at an auditorium of the commission in
city's Agargaon.

   Information and Broadcasting Secretary Md Mokbul Hossain addressed
the discussion as special guest with Chief Information Commissioner
(CIC) Martuza Ahmed in the chair.

   Information commissioners Suriya Begum, NDC, and Dr Abdul Malek,
among others, spoke. The discussants wished long life and sound health
of the Prime Minister marking her birthday.

   Hasan said that today is Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 75th
birthday. In fact, it's the premier who has ensured the right to
information of all people of Bangladesh, he added.

   "The Information Commission Act has been passed in the parliament
when we formed the government in 2009 while the Information Commission
had formed the act. The premier has ensured the right to information
through forming the commission," he observed.

  The minister said that about 1.21 lakh applications related to
information have been resolved in the country till December last. For
this, there is no need to take picture of files or steal papers for
information from ministries, he added.

   He said that there is a scope of seeking information to the
commission if any ministry or government bodies deny providing such
information which is not secret documents of the state.

   He said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
had ensured the right to information of the people in chapter 39 of
the Constitution framed in 1972.

  For this, later, the Right to Information Act had been passed and
formed the Information Commission, said Hasan, also Awami League joint
general secretary.

   "Bangabandhu didn't only give us an independent state, he had also
given us a Constitution in which the people of the country have been
given the ownership of the state. The constitution is really a unique
one," he added.

   Martuza said that it is now a basic right of the people to know
information and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ensured the right.
For this, the name of the premier will be written in golden letter, he
added.

   Mokbul said that the right to information is one of the main
strengths of human progress.

  Later, 13 officials from different ministries, divisions, districts
and upazila levels were awarded for playing important role in
implementing the right to information act.

  Land Secretary Md Mostafizur Rahman and Social Welfare Secretary
Mahfuza Akhtar received first and second awards respectively.