LALITPUR, August 19: Chief Justice (CJ) Gopal Parajuli has said that government bodies should make information more accessible to the citizen as it is the 'heartbeat of democracy'.

Speaking on the occasion of the 10th National Information Day organized by National Information Commission (NIC) in Lalitpur on Friday, CJ Parajuli said right to information should be honored by all public bodies.

“One of the main reasons why the judicial system has remained intact for thousands of years is due to its transparency,” he said, adding, “NIC maintains the same level of transparency, which is why there is a cordial relationship between the judicial system and NIC.” Chief Information Commissioner Krishna Hari Banskota addressed the function saying that information should be made transparent to protect the sovereignty of the people. Banskota stated that NIC should be given constitutional status by the government and amend various laws regarding the right to information.

Information Commissioner of NIC Kiran Kumar Pokharel said, “Although it has been ten years since the Right to Information Act has been passed, we are still lagging behind other countries in terms of providing information.” He said that public offices still keep information discrete which is against the act.

NIC also felicitated five public officials from various offices and three officials from NIC for their outstanding contribution in their respective fields. The Right to Information Act 2007 guarantees citizens to have access to information of public offices. 

 
• transparency
 
• democracy
 
• chief justice