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Hello Jammu News at 12:23:00 PM 0

New Delhi, Jun 22 : Denouncing the brutal killing of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari, SAMDEN, a network of editors and media practitioners, today urged the NHRC and the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission to push for swift investigation into the case.

Bukhari, 53, and his two PSOs were shot dead by gunmen outside the newspaper's office in the heart of Srinagar on June 14. He was shot dead soon after he boarded his car from his office in the Press Enclave at Lal Chowk.

Bukhari's murder highlights the growing dangers of being a journalist, and also the impunity with which threats, attacks and murders have been carried out, said Sanjoy Hazaika, International Director of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) in a letter.

The copies of the letter have been sent to National Human Rights Commission chairperson justice (retd) H L Dattu, the SHRC, as well as to David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the CHRI said in a statement.

South Asia Media Defenders Network (SAMDEN) is an informal association of independent editors and media practitioners, anchored in CHRI.

SAMDEN, cognizant of the increasing attacks on media workers and professionals, and pressures on freedom of speech and expression, calls upon the central and the state governments to take necessary steps to ensure safety and security for all journalists in India, the statement said.

Bukhari, a leading journalistic voice in Jammu and Kashmir, had been under police protection since 2000. He was described as a rare voice of moderation and reason and an advocate for peace and justice in a public discourse that has tended to locate itself in ideological extremes, it added.

He had worked for several years as state correspondent for 'The Hindu'. He was instrumental in organising conferences for peace in the valley and was also a part of the Track-II dialogue process with Pakistan.PTI

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Hello Jammu News at 6:54:00 PM 0
Former CIC India Wajahat Habibullah chairs seminar; calls for pro-active disclosure of information by public offices

SRINAGAR, MAY 12:  Former Chief Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission, and Chairperson CHRI, Wajahat Habibullah, today chaired a seminar on the implementation of the J&K Right to Information Act 2019 at DC Office Srinagar.
The seminar was attended by senior officers from all 40 line departments besides other heads of departments of the district.
The aim of the seminar was to sensitize the officers of the district administration about the RTI act and the importance of it taking a proper footing in public offices. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, also present on the occasion, said a transparent and accountable administration in the district is his main aim and the implementation of this act amongst his focus agendas.
The former CIC spoke on the importance of pro-active and reactive information disclosure in the system and said that it promotes transparent functioning and gives rise to accountable administration.
He said that cleanliness in the functioning of public authorities strengthens the trust between the administration and the people, and that this law leads towards that direction. He highlighted the importance of proper maintenance of records in public offices for the effective functioning of this statute.
Habibullah said PIOs are chief officials in this entire exercise and that there must be no hesitation or inhibition in seeking the required details from their department heads who are obliged to provide the information sought. 
He urged the DC to instruct the heads of departments in the district to make all the public interest information about their departments and their work, including details about the utilization of allocated funds available in the public domain on their websites.
The seminar also included an open discussion session during which PIOs sought clarifications about the kind of information that can be provided against an RTI application, particularly with regard to those applications which seek private information of individuals.
Several questions were answered in the light of Supreme Court and other Court Judgments thus helping clear a whole range of confusions.
Speaking towards the end of the seminar, the DC said that as the head of the district administration it would be amongst his main goals to make Srinagar a model district as far as implementation of the RTI Act is concerned.
The seminar was organized by J&K RTI Movement in collaboration with Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) Saturday at DC Office Srinagar.
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Hello Jammu News at 6:55:00 PM 0
Discusses status of implementation of RTI Act in JK


SRINAGAR, AUGUST 30: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) deputation lead by Venkatesh Nayak, Programme Coordinator, New Delhi called on JK's Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), Khurshid Ahmad Ganai to discuss the status of implementation of the J&K RTI Act 2009 in the State.
He was accompanied by Dr Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, Chairman, RTI Movement J&K, Junaid Indrabi, Convener, J&K RTI Movement and Shikha Chibber of CHRI, Delhi.
The Programme Coordinator raised the issue of non-compliance by Public Authorities of the provisions under Section 4 of the J&K RTI Act regarding suo-moto disclosure of information, awareness of the RTI law among the general public particularly in the far-flung areas of the State like Gurez, Ladakh, Kupwara, Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch etc.
The CHRI team highlighted the need for training of the Public Information Officers(PIOs) and First Appellate Authorities (FAAs) on the grounds that there is lack of adequate understanding about the duties and responsibilities of the PIOs and FAAs under the RTI Act.
The Programme Coordinator informed the CIC, that CHRI is planning to visit certain far-flung areas in the State for awareness generation. The deputation also informed the CIC about the seminar on the RTI held recently at Central University, Kashmir.
The CIC informed the deputation about various steps being taken by the State Information Commission(SIC) and the State Government for generating awareness and for implementation of the RTI Act at the level of the PIOs and FAAs which is the cutting edge level. It was also informed that over 80 orders of the CIC  in the 2nd appeals and complaints filed before the Commission have been uploaded on the State Information Commission (SIC) website since March,2017 after the SIC was made functional with the appointment of the present CIC.
The CIC also referred to various Notifications and Circulars issued by the SIC and the General Administration Department impressing upon the PIOs and FAAs for effective implementation of the J&K RTI Act,2009. He also stated that that Roundtable with the  RTI Activists and the Government officials for awareness generation and training of Government officials have already been held in five districts and the balance 17 districts will be covered by the end of the current financial year i.e, March,2018.

The Programme Coordinator (CHRI) assured the CIC of all cooperation and invited the CIC to participate in the CHRI sponsored conference to be held at Bhubaneswar in October. The CIC thanked the deputationists from CHRI for taking keen interest in the RTI activities in the State and for helping to generate awareness among the general public and Government functionaries.
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