Public Information Officer
Also called: PIO, CPIO · Topic: Transparency, Accountability and e-Governance · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Public Information Officer (PIO) is the officer named in each public authority under Section 5 of the RTI Act 2005. The PIO receives RTI applications and supplies the information. In central bodies this officer is called a CPIO (Central PIO). The PIO must reply within 30 days, or within 48 hours if the matter concerns a person's life or liberty. If there is no reply in time, it counts as a refusal, and late information must be given free. A PIO can be fined ₹250 a day, up to ₹25,000, for faults such as delay.
Example
A citizen asks a municipal office how much money was spent on repairing a local road. The office's PIO must give the records within 30 days. If the application goes through an APIO (Assistant PIO), 5 more days are allowed.
Don't confuse with
- First appellate authority: a senior officer in the same authority who hears appeals against the PIO's reply. This officer does not handle the first request.
Related concepts
- Right to Information Act 2005
- Public authority (RTI)
- Proactive disclosure
- Jan Soochna Portal
- RTI appeals
- Right to Information (Amendment) Act 2019