Uttar Pradesh: Official asked to serve meals to students as 'symbolic punishment' for delay in responding to RTI

Village development officer and PIO of Noonra village Chandrika Prasad did not respond to the RTI within the stipulated time period of 30 days

|Apr 27, 2022, 16:12:20 IST

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission has asked a public information officer to feed mid-day meals to 250 school students in Ghazipur as a "symbolic punishment" for delay in replying to an RTI.RTI applicant Bhupendra Kumar Pandey had sought information about development work in Noonra village in Ghazipur district under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2016. However, village development officer and PIO of Noonra village Chandrika Prasad did not respond to the RTI within the stipulated time period of 30 days.Hearing the application moved by Pandey, Information Commissioner Ajay Kumar Uprety on Monday directed Prasad to serve meals to students of a primary school in the village on April 29. Uprety also asked the official to record the act and submit the video to the commission while ensuring that the expenditure on the meals does not exceed Rs 25,000."Generally, we impose a cash penalty of Rs 25,000 on the PIOs who cause delay in providing information under the RTI Act," Uprety told PTI.However, Prasad didn't deliberately cause the delay and has been given a "symbolic and out of the box punishment", Uprety said, adding that the real culprit is former village development officer and PIO (Panchayati Raj department) Gopal Singh who has been fined of Rs 25,000 under section 20(1) of the RTI Act.Under the RTI Act, PIOs are supposed to provide the information within 30 days of receiving the RTI application. If the PIOs do not abide by this order, the commission can recommend disciplinary action under the service rules applicable to them under section 20(2) of the RTI Act.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

J&K cop on Amarnath Yatra duty shot dead in Anantnag terror attack; TRF claims responsibility

The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack through a social media post

2 min read

Jaishankar meets Canada's Anita Anand, discusses bilateral cooperation and shared interests

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks on bilateral ties with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, focusing on cooperation and common goals.

1 min read

Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad... Neet paper leak protest spreads nationwide even as govt reaches out to CJP, Opposition

Protests over the alleged NEET paper leak intensified across multiple cities, while the Centre signalled talks with the Opposition and the Cockroach Janta Party. The Delhi High Court also stepped in, seeking preservation of CCTV footage related to police action.

3 min read

Why is India seeing 95% cloud cover despite a Super El Niño?

India is witnessing nearly 95 per cent cloud cover despite a Super El Niño, a climate event usually linked to weaker monsoons. Regional weather systems, cyclonic circulations, the monsoon trough and moisture from two seas are temporarily overpowering one of the world's strongest climate phenomena

5 min read

Jaishankar, Rubio review trade, defence, AI cooperation at Manila meeting

Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reviewed key pillars of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade, defence, energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, while also exchanging views on regional and global developments.