From morning to evening we have discussed about Right to Information. How shall we get the Right to Information? Chitta Babu has done a lot on this matter. Our State Government passed a Gram Panchayat Act in 1997. This Act said that the concerned authorities would give the Information to the public. The public will get each and every information from Gram Panchayat Office by paying Rs.2/- per page. I assure you, let us visit some Panchayats, but we can't get any Information from there.

In 1986, the Government of India passed a Bill i.e. Consumer Protect Act. All of you know about it. To ensure proper implementation of this Act, there are Councils at State and Central level. But such Councils are not functional for the purpose.

As a matter of fact, neither the State Government nor the Central Government is serious about the Consumer Protect Act. The government is visibly abdicating its responsibility. The Government is not interested to pass a right kind of Right to Information Bill either. You know about the proverb "Dekha Shikha Odisa". That means we feel impelled to do a work, only when others have done.

Our State Government was saying that they would pass the Right to Information Act. But they have not done the minimum preliminary work till now.

Firstly the name of this Act in some States is Right to Information Act. But our Central Government renamed it as Freedom of Information Act. What is Freedom of Information? Why is it so titled? Of course in America, the corresponding Act is known as Freedom of Information Act. So our Central Govt imitated the style of America in naming the Act. But after all, what is Freedom of Information?

If you read the Freedom of Information Bill, you shall see that there is nothing on Right to Information. So want the name of that Bill to be changed to the Right to Information Transparency Bill. Transparency in public affairs is the basic goal behind the Right to Information. If our Government don't become transparent, from where shall we get the Information?

Mr.Chitta Behera pleaded for a provision to be included under the Bill for compensation to the aggrieved information seeker. Really it is not in our Central Bill. We should therefore campaign for such a provision to be incorporated in the Right to Information Bill through Workshops, Seminars etc. in different places of the State.

Our State Government should pass a Bill for Right to Information, which suits the poor people of Orissa.