A one day Seminar on Right to Information in Orissa was held at Bharatia Tower on 13th April 2002 under the auspices of Cuttack District NGO Co-ordination Committee, a federation of voluntary organizations of the district, attended by about 150 participants hailing from different professions and places of the State. Inaugurating the Seminar Sri P .C. Mishra former Judge of Orissa High Court and former Chairman of Orissa Consumer Grievances Redressal Commission observed that the Right to Information is already implicit in the fundamental rights of the Constitution. The Supreme Court of India in several of their judgements emphasized that unless an individual has right to access information, he could not exercise properly his fundamental right to freedom of expression, said Justice Mishra. He further remarked that, since the bureaucracy still practised secrecy in their day-to-day transactions with the public notwithstanding the constitutional provisions, the need was felt for legislating a separate Act on Right to Information.

The Opening Session of the Seminar was presided over by a senior I.P .S. Officer of the State Sri Dillip Kumar Mohapatra, former D.G. of Orissa Police and presently the D.G.of Orissa State Road Transport Corporation. In his presidential remarks Sri Mohapatra deplored that despite 55 years of independence, we still maintain a legal-administrative structure. which was largely framed by the British rulers and which today has no relevance to the people's life. It is unfortunate that the Central Bill on Freedom of Information is still pending in Par1iament without any discussion, and on1y a few States of the country have 1egis1ated right to information, said Sri Mohapatra. Orissa which is a poor and backward State can achieve its proper development. If people are given access to official information and are thereby enabled to participate in the ongoing developmental process.

Sri Debendra Chandra Mishra, Director Gopabandhu Academy of Administration joining as a Guest Speaker on the occasion observed that the law on right to information should be formulated in such a way as to facilitate easy access of the poorest of the poor i.e. the tribals and backward classes of the State to all the information they need for their survival and development.

Sri Chitta Ranjan Behera, a social activist while presenting the Draft Bill on Orissa Right to Information Act 2002 compiled by him, observed that the outmoded Official Secrets Act 1923 along with the Government Servants Conduct Rules need be thoroughly recast as soon as possible so as to pave the way for proper enforcement of a Right to Information law in the country and in our State. Further more Sri Behera emphasized that a public debate involving the people at grass root level should precede the finalization of the Draft-Bill on the Right to Information for Orissa.

Sri Manmohan Praharaj, I.G. Orissa Police, a Guest Speaker commented on various provisions of the Draft Bill as presented by Sri Behera and observed that the Draft Bill in its present form left a lot of room for improvement on various counts. The obligation of the public authorities to publicise suo moto their respective citizens charters through Internet as a mandatory provision, should be incorporated into the Bill. He felt that the monitoring body namely State Council for Right to Information, as mentioned in the Draft Bill should consist of more of non official citizens from various spheres, headed by a retired Judge of Orissa High Court. In no case this body be allowed to function as an appendage of the State bureaucracy, which to this day is deep drunk in the culture of secrecy and alienation from the people.

Sri Madhusudan Panda, a senior Advocate of Orissa High Court observed that the secrecy still being practiced by the bureaucrats notwithstanding the constitutional mandate and Supreme Court Judgements favouring transparency, prevails precisely owing to their tendency to conceal their vested interests and malpractices from the public. He welcomed the initiative of the NGOs for a movement for transparency in public life through a Right to Information law in the State.