Journalists and activists honoured  on International Day for RTI 2019

Journalist Rahul Samantha Hettirachchi receives his award from USAID/SDGAP Chief of Party Paul King

Text and picture by P.D. De Silva

Journalists Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi, Tharindu Jayawardena and Dilip Amudan, and civil society activists Gracien Wijesinghe, K. Prasanna, K.P.W. Sarath Chandrasena, Nishanthi Nadaraja, Yasawathi Wasala, Wajira Umagiliya and Basil Kalapuge were honoured at the RTI Citizenship Appreciation Felicitation Awards in the International Day for Right to Information 2019 celebrations held at the Ministry of Mass Media yesterday.

It was mentioned that more and more people were making use of the RTI Act and that 33,000 requests for information had been made after it was unanimously approved in Parliament on 24 June 2016.

An RTI impact assessment survey had shown that 94% of those interviewed said they considered the right to information a human right, while 77% were in agreement that RTI has helped reduce corruption.

Secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media Sunil Samaraweera, USAID/SDGAP Chief of Party Paul King and RTIC Resident Consultant Nalaka Gunawardena addressed the gathering.