Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: The agitating website of City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) will be launched on Friday that was planned by the district government soon after the passing of Punjab Transparency Right to Information (RTI) Act in September 2013 by Punjab Assembly. According to details Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) has competed the website of City District Government Rawalpindi (www.rawalpindi.gov.pk) that will be functional from today. Syed Kausar Abbas, Program Manager of Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) and one of the members of committee constituted by DCO Rawalpindi to complete the website told the reporter that CPDI had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with City District Government Rawalpindi to provide technical and financial facilitation to develop the official website of district government Rawalpindi soon after the news of incomplete website appeared on media. He appreciated the initiative taken by District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dall to provide online information to the citizens of Rawalpindi. Approximately 5 million population of Rawalpindi will be the direct beneficiary of information sharing through the website. The website is prepared by the technical staff of CPDI in collaboration of System Network Administrator and team of CDGR. He told that the briefing session on website launching will be organized on Friday in DCO office where all senior officials of Rawalpindi and civil society representatives will attend the ceremony. Abbas told that CPDI is providing facilitation to the district governments of Punjab to ensure transparency and pro-active disclosure of public information under section 4 of Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013. He said that every citizen has right of access to information to all public offices under Punjab RTI Act 2013. The public offices are also directed by the information commission of Punjab to ensure the pro-active disclosure of information through websites. All the public record including minutes of meetings, budget expenditures, procurement process, educational and health facilities, recruitment of staff and development projects will be displayed on the website of CDGR to ensure public participation in the decision making process of district government. Citizens will also get access to give their feedback or file a complaint against any official through website. He said that CPDI has successfully developed the websites of eight district governments and two police departments during one year and will continue its facilitation to the rest of districts as well.