The people, who are the source of state power, should have access to information about government activities in order to institutionalise democracy, they said.

The Mass-line Media Centre (MMC) organised the seminar at LGED auditorium in the city on the occasion of International Right to Information Day.

Sayed Mahbubur Rahman, director general of National Institute of Mass Communication, underscored the need for raising mass awareness to ensure the right to know.

Without any struggle, the people's rights would not be established, he added.

Mizanur Rahman Shelley, chairman of Centre for Development Research, Bangladesh, said easy access to information helps strengthen democracy, reduce poverty and establish human rights.

The tendency to conceal information on various pretexts is a sign of autocracy, he added.

Access to information is a prerequisite for maintaining political, social, economic and cultural integrity, said Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman of PPRC, who chaired the inaugural session.

The people need only primary information to get things done. Once they obtain their required information, they can do the rest by themselves, he added.

Ensuring the right to know is especially necessary for the poor who suffer a lot due to the lack of access to information, said Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation.

Emphasising the need for proper presentation of information, she said newspersons should be careful while presenting any information to the public.

In the second session of the seminar, journalist Abu Naser Manju presented a paper on 'Access to information about disaster management and its limitation'.

In his paper on 'Media reporting on land management', Shankar Lal Das said common people have virtually no access to information about their own lands. In most cases, they have to pay bribes to the officials concerned to know about the details of their landed property.

In his paper on 'Information gap', Mong Sing Pro said people in hilly areas of Chittagong do not enjoy the basic constitutional rights. While the entire nation enjoy mobile phone facilities, the hills people are deprived of such services, he added.

Chairman of Unnayan Shamannay Dr Atiur Rahman moderated the second session.