Uttar Pradesh Chief Information Commissioner Javed Usmani today directed all district magistrates (DMs) and superintendents of police (SPs) to take "necessary steps" in cases of "genuine" threat to RTI activists in the course of their work.
The directive has been issued in the wake of complaints that RTI activists often face "pressure and threats" while pursuing information under the Right to Information Act, said Usmani, who had come here for an awareness workshop of District Information Officers belonging to Aligarh Division.
It is for the district officials to decide the exact nature of the security support which they give following such complaints and would depend upon their "discretion", he said.
In reply to a question, Usmani said NGOs, which get "substantial financial help" from the government, also fall under the purview of the RTI Act.
He made it clear that private universities which are securing substantive assistance from government funds are also included in this category.
This is the third such workshop held in the state this year. Usmani said similar workshops are scheduled to be held in all divisions of the state within the next two months.
