SRINAGAR: Beginning the implementation of the central Right to Information Act, the Jammu and Kashmir government directed all departments on Thursday to appoint public information officers and first appellate authorities under the central 2005 law.The directions were issued by the general administration department (GAD) of J&K after the repeal of the J&K Right to Information Act of 2009 (enacted by the then NCP-Congress government led by Omar Abdullah ) and the application of the central law by the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.The bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — J&K and Ladakh — has led to the repeal of more than 150 laws. The J&K government had constituted a committee to examine the applicability of the central RTI Act in the UT. One of the suggestions of the committee was that a branch of the Central Information Commission be opened in the UT given its vast area compared to other UTs, the general administration department of the UT of J&K said.