Friday, November 11, 2011

Nitish blinder: RTI Act in Braille for visually impaired

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=BGMIR%2F2011%2F11%2F11&ViewMode=HTML&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01002&AppName=1&FontSize=g1

PATNA Visual impairment is no longer an obstacle to understand the Right to 
Information Act in Bihar. The Nitish Kumar government will soon provide 
copies of the Act in Braille for the benefit of blind people in the state, 
officials said on Thursday (10-11-2011).

Describing the move as a first in the country, an official of the Bihar 
State Information Commission (BSIC) said, "The commission will distribute 
copies of the RTI Act in Braille script among visually impaired people to 
create awareness and to provide them an opportunity to use it for their 
benefit."

BSIC has also decided to accept applications submitted in Braille.

According officials of the BSIC, there are one million visually impaired 
people in Bihar but not one had turned up with an RTI application in the 
last five years.

BSIC has approached the Dehradun-based National Institute of Visually 
Handicapped for getting Braille copies of the Act and the rules in Hindi and 
English. It has also requested the institute to prepare audio versions.

Officials said the institute has a huge press where books in Braille 
script are printed.

Neither the Central Information Commission nor any state information 
commission has so far taken the initiative to print the RTI Act in Braille, 
an official said.

--IANS 

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