Assam plans Right to Information Bill

By Barun Das Gupta

GUWAHATI, AUG. 28. The Assam Chief Minister and APCC president, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, today appealed to the Congress workers to work hard to lift the State out of the morass of stagnation it had slipped into over the past two decades.

Addressing a general body meeting of the APCC here, Mr. Gogoi said Assam's progress had stopped in 1978 when the first non- Congress Government led by Janata Party came to power. The State continued to lag behind in every field since then.

But the people's expectations from the new Government were very high. The party and the Government would have to fulfil their hopes. ``We have to move forward despite militancy. That is why we are giving so much importance to development especially rural development and to generate self-employment,'' he said.

The Government would be bringing a Right to Information Bill in the next session of the Assembly because transparency in the implementation of all government projects and schemes at every level was an effective way of reducing the influence of middlemen and checking corruption, he said.

He stressed the need for taking full advantage of information technology and promote e-governance so that the administration could be taken down to the lowest level, made more effective and more responsive.

Later, talking to newsmen, he said the State would have to approach the World Bank for developmental assistance.

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Section  : Other States
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