RTI convention to work out modalities to get information in PPP projects

ONE of the very few things no Indian bureaucrat can afford to avoid these days is a new development on Right to Information (RTI). With the fifth convention on RTI beginning in New Delhi on Monday, the officers of various cadres are waiting to find what is in store next.
The two-day RTI conference is likely to discuss among others the ways of using RTIs in Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects. The convention, to be inaugurated by Union minister of law and justice Veerappa Moily, will also discuss responsibility of political leadership in promoting RTI, the role of media and civil societies and use of RTI in Unique Identification Project among others.

The technical sessions of the convention, which are being attended by delegation from SAARC countries, will be chaired by AN Tiwari, IC, CIC, Jaswant Singh, MP, Lok Sabha, Wajahat Habibullah, Chief IC, CIC and Ms Mrinal Pandey, chairperson, Prasar Bharti. The Central Information Commission has been organizing the annual convention every year since 2006.

CAG to inaugurate international training programme for 45 audit officers

Vinod Rai, a 1972 batch IAS officer and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will inaugurate the 96th International Training Programme on ‘Performance Audit’ at C and AG Office, New Delhi on Monday. The training programme will be attended by 45 participants from 36 nations. Georgia is a new country for this programme.

In fact, 95 international training programmes have been organized so far and 2,815 middle and senior level officers from Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of 121 countries of Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia, Far East, Middle East, Pacific and East European region have participated in these training programmes. Most of the trainees are funded under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme (SCAAP) and Colombo Plan.

An international police meet to begin in Kochi on Nov 3

A major international police conference is beginning on Kochi from November 3, 2010. About 120 delegates from countries like USA, Canada, UK, South Africa and Germany are expected to participate in the mega meet which will deliberate on community policing initiatives around the world. Kiran Bedi, Dr RK Raghavan and Hormis Tharakan, DGPs and top police officers from different states are expected to participate. It is expected to work out modalities of PPP in policing among others.