Appropriate Government to prepare programmes.
26. (1) The appropriate Government may, to the extent of availability of financial and other resources,—
| (a) |
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develop and organise educational programmes to advance the understanding of the public, in particular of disadvantaged communities as to how to exercise the rights contemplated under this Act; |
| (b) |
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encourage public authorities to participate in the development and organisation of programmes referred to in clause (a) and to undertake such programmes themselves; |
| (c) |
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promote timely and effective dissemination of accurate information by public authorities about their activities; and |
| (d) |
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train Central Public Information Officers or State Public Information Officers, as the case may be, of public authorities and produce relevant training materials for use by the public authorities themselves. |
(2) The appropriate Government shall, within eighteen months from the commencement of this Act, compile in its official language a guide containing such information, in an easily comprehensible form and manner, as may reasonably be required by a person who wishes to exercise any right specified in this Act.
(3) The appropriate Government shall, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines referred to in sub-section (2) at regular intervals which shall, in particular and without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (2), include—
| (a) |
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the objects of this Act; |
| (b) |
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the postal and street address, the phone and fax number and, if available, electronic mail address of the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, of every public authority appointed under sub-section (1) of section 5; |
| (c) |
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the manner and the form in which request for access to an information shall be made to a Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be; |
| (d) |
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the assistance available from and the duties of the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, of a public authority under this Act; |
| (e) |
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the assistance available from the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be; |
| (f) |
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all remedies in law available regarding an act or failure to act in respect of a right or duty conferred or imposed by this Act including the manner of filing an appeal to the Commission; |
| (g) |
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the provisions providing for the voluntary disclosure of categories of records in accordance with section 4; |
| (h) |
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the notices regarding fees to be paid in relation to requests for access to an information; and |
| (i) |
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any additional regulations or circulars made or issued in relation to obtaining access to an information in accordance with this Act. |
(4) The appropriate Government must, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines at regular intervals.