KATHMANDU, May 16: A right to information (RTI) application has been registered at the National Information Commission (NIC), claiming that the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) failed to provide any information about selection procession and criteria of the ‘trendsetter’ award conferred on different individuals last month.

Om Prakash Bista, a resident of KMC-29, registered the application, accusing FNCCI of denying him information about the selection criteria.

“FNCCI dilly-dallied in giving information for over a month. This left me with no option than to register application at the NIC,” Bista told Republica.

According to Bista, FNCCI invited him to collect information at its secretariat for more than a dozen times, but did not give any information.

“I had not expected such a reaction from FNCCI which is led by prestigious businesspeople,” he said, adding: “I only wanted to know on what basis the recipients of the award were selected and why some sectors were deliberately left out.”

Bista has sought maximum punishment against the defendants -- FNCCI and its president Bhawani Rana -- as per the Right to Information Act, 2064 BS.

About a month ago, FNCCI had conferred the FNCCI Gold Award on different ‘trend setters’ in recognition of their contribution in development and expansion of their respective sectors.

FNCCI had honored first governor of the country Himalaya Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, noted tourism entrepreneur Karna Sakya, Buddha Air’s Managing Director Birendra Bahadur Basnet, and QFX Cinema’s promoter Nakim Uddin, among others, with the award.

Advocate Ananta Raj Luitel, who is providing legal advice to Bista, said every citizen should have access to information held by public bodies as per the Article 27 of the Constitution of Nepal and Article 3 of the Right to Information Act-2007.

“The applicant can go to the extent of filing a case at the Supreme Court if he fails to get the desired information,” Luitel added.
 

 
• national information commission
 
• nepalese chambers of commerce and industry
 
• right to information